EIS seems promising for early detection of breast cancer, and identification of young women at increased risk for having the disease at time of screening. Positive EIS-associated breast cancer risk compares favorably with relative risks of conditions commonly used to justify early breast cancer screening. Patients are satisfied with a screening paradigm involving breast EIS.

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) uptake by parathyroid adenomas, oxyphil cell content and volume of the lesions. Thirty-one patients with parathyroid adenomas were evaluated prospectively. Preoperative double-phase 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy was performed in all patients and tracer uptake by parathyroid lesions was assessed semi-quantitatively employing region of interest ratios to normal adjacent neck areas. Surgical specimens underwent histological evaluation and oxyphil cell content was determined. The intensity of tracer uptake was compared with oxyphil cell content, volume of the lesions and serum levels of calcium and parathormone. 99mTc-MIBI tracer uptake was correlated with oxyphil cell content, volume of parathyroid lesions and the functional status of the parathyroid adenomas. Tracer accumulation in oxyphil cells might partially explain the preferential 99mTc-MIBI retention in parathyroid lesions.

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The RSI may assist in the evaluation of nontraumatic acute scrotum, and can clearly distinguish among testicular torsion, torsion of testicular appendages and epididymitis.

In 63 patients with various congenital heart defects, lung perfusion was evaluated with technetium-99mm macroaggregated albumin. Right lung perfusion abnormalities were documented in 34 patients (54%). A particularly high incidence occurred in patients who had undergone a systemic to pulmonary artery shunt operation as an initial palliative procedure or who had had right ventricular outflow reconstruction and in those with bilateral pulmonary artery stenosis. Serial studies were helpful in evaluating the functional results of different transcatheter interventions for optimizing pulmonary blood flow. The quantitative relative perfusion radionuclide method was a more sensitive means of detecting cases of abnormal lung perfusion than was chest radiology.

This study examines the oropharyngeal-upper esophageal scintigraphic transit in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome, as well as the effect of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) on this transit. Scintigraphy is a safe, noninvasive test that is suitable as a screening test for oropharyngoesophageal motor disorders. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the swallowed radionuclide bolus was performed in 47 patients by means of a Cine Mode visual inspection and by computerized analysis. Three groups of patients were studied and compared: group 1, 10 healthy patients; group 2, 18 OSA patients before UPPP; and group 3, 19 OSA patients 6 months up to 2 years after UPPP. Oropharyngoesophageal scintigraphy was normal in 90% of group 1 patients (9/10) as well as in group 3, where 95% of patients (18/19) had a normal transit unlinked to the degree of improvement in the respiratory disturbance index. The radionuclide transit was abnormal in 79% OSA patients (15/18) in group 2. Statistically significant differences of mean transit abnormalities between the three groups were found (P = 0.0001). Moreover, mean transit abnormalities in the OSA patients before UPPP were statistically significantly lower than in the group of patients after UPPP (56.2% vs 87.4, P < 0.05).

The aim of this study was to assess the additional value of early and double phase scintimammography (SMM) with 99Tcm-sestamibi in the detection of breast cancer following initial evaluation by palpation and mammography. Altogether, 322 women with breast lesions evaluated prospectively by palpation, fine-needle aspiration and mammography were assigned a malignancy risk according to the results. Scintimammography was performed in all patients in the prone breast dependent position. Immediate and delayed views were obtained. Acquisition of immediate tracer uptake was termed 'early phase' SMM, whereas a combination of both immediate and delayed phase images was termed 'double phase' SMM. All patients underwent breast biopsy. Both early phase and double phase SMM detected eight of nine tumours in the low-risk group (88.8% sensitivity). In the uncertain cases (moderate-risk group), early phase SMM detected all malignant tumours, but double phase SMM missed one (92.3% sensitivity). In the high-risk group, early phase SMM missed two breast cancers (94.6% sensitivity) and double phase SMM missed four (89.2% sensitivity). Overall, early phase SMM had a sensitivity of 94.9% and a specificity of 80.2% in detecting breast cancer, whereas double phase SMM had a sensitivity of 89.8% and a specificity of 94.3%. Both methods had 100% sensitivity for tumours larger than 1 cm. In conclusion, SMM detected additional breast cancers following an initial evaluation by palpation, fine-needle aspiration and mammography. Our results suggest that double phase SMM is more specific than early phase SMM, although early phase SMM is more sensitive. Whether the interpretation of SMM results should rely on both early and delayed images, or early images alone, should be based on the relative risk of malignancy of the breast lesion as estimated by the initial evaluation.

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