Gallium scintigraphy in a case of septic cavernous sinus thrombosis

Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · Clin. Nucl. Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00003072-198609000-00010· OSTI ID:7134388

Palestro, C J; Malat, J; Gladstone, A G; Richman, A H

Septic cavernous sinus thrombosis, a relatively uncommon disease entity, frequently can be fatal. Early diagnosis is imperative in order that appropriate treatment be instituted. A 59-year-old woman who was admitted to our institution with complaints of diplopia, blurred vision and fevers that developed following a tooth extraction is presented. Initial CT and lumbar puncture on the day of admission were totally normal. A repeat CT performed 48 hours after admission, on the same day as gallium imaging, demonstrated findings consistent with cavernous sinus thrombosis. Gallium imaging demonstrated intense uptake in the left cavernous sinus and left orbit as well as moderately increased activity in the right cavernous sinus and orbit, confirming infection. The patient was treated with antibiotics, and repeat CT and gallium imaging were performed ten days later, both of which demonstrated near total resolution of the disease process. Conceivably, if gallium imaging had been initiated on the day of admission it may have been the first study to demonstrate an infectious process in the cavernous sinus. Gallium imaging should be considered as a diagnostic tool in the noninvasive workup of this entity.

• Research Organization: Norwalk Hospital, CT
• OSTI ID: 7134388
• Journal Information: Clin. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Vol. 9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
SINUSES
SCINTISCANNING
THROMBOSIS
DIAGNOSIS
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
GALLIUM 67
HEAD
PATIENTS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
BODY AREAS
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
GALLIUM ISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
TOMOGRAPHY
VASCULAR DISEASES
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics