Clinical nuclear medicine
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Jun 1997
Case Reports Comparative StudyCerebral perfusion SPECT imaging in epileptic and nonepileptic seizures.
Patients with epileptic and nonepileptic seizures are commonly encountered in clinical practice, and they can pose a difficult diagnostic problem. We present two cases that show the difficult task of differentiating between true epileptic and nonepileptic or psychogenic seizures in some patients. The clinical presentations were complex and the use of video-monitored EEG alone was insufficient to make definitive diagnoses. ⋯ The injection of stabilized Tc-99m HMPAO during an ictal event followed by appropriate medical therapy provides a method of obtaining a reasonable image of relative perfusion (activity) during the seizure. These images can then be compared with interictal examinations and an epileptic or nonepileptic focus may be localized. The Tc-99m HMPAO brain perfusion SPECT imaging study was helpful in establishing the correct diagnosis in both cases.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Feb 1997
Case ReportsVentilation-perfusion scintigraphic correlation with multimodality imaging in a proven case of Swyer-James (Macleod's) syndrome.
The scintigraphic findings in a rare case of a unilateral matched ventilation perfusion defect, Swyer-James (Macleod's) syndrome, are presented. A 40-year-old man underwent ventilation/perfusion imaging for acute onset of dyspnea. The scan showed markedly diminished ventilation, vascular flow, and perfusion unilaterally on the left hemithorax. ⋯ Pulmonary angiography showed left-sided hypovascularity, and the CT scan of the chest showed apical bullae and peribronchial thickening of the left lung. Ventilation/perfusion imaging and other radiologic assessment, along with the patient's medical history, confirmed the diagnosis of the Swyer-James syndrome. This condition should be considered as a differential diagnosis in a patient with unilaterally matched ventilation/perfusion deficits without an obvious etiology.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Jan 1997
Comparative StudyThe diagnostic value of Tc-99m human polyclonal immunoglobulin imaging compared to Tc-99m HMPAO labeled leukocytes in inflammatory bowel disease.
The aim of this study was to establish the usefulness of Tc-99m human polyclonal immunoglobulin (HIG) imaging in a group of patients who were suspected of having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The authors performed 30 scans (15 with Tc-99m HMPAO leukocytes and 15 with Tc-99m HIG) on 15 patients with IBD. ⋯ The Tc-99m HMPAO leukocyte imaging also detected a larger number of affected segments and provided better image quality of the extent of disease than Tc-99m HIG. On the basis of these results, the authors believe that Tc-99m HIG imaging is not a useful technique in the evaluation of patients with IBD, in the identification of location, or the extension or degree of disease activity.