No abstract available

[en] We present a case of multiple myeloma in which pulmonary calcification was clinically shown by bone scintigraphy and subsequently confirmed at autopsy. It is suggested that, in patients with myeloma, radionuclide bone scanning may be of value for differentiating deposits in the lung due to calcification from those due to other types of pulmonary infiltration revealed by chest X-rays. A thorough review of the relevant literature is presented. (orig.)

[en] A recent, commercially available computer programme for the three-dimensional (3D) display of single-photon emission tomography (SPET) data was used to study myocardial perfusion in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). To enable the detection of small ischemic lesions, the authors proposed a new 'distance-subtraction' method: After suitable centering of the axial slices, 3D 'distance-shaded' images of the stress study were subtracted from the corresponding views of the rest study. With this technique, small changes in surface-to-observer distance were high-lighted, thus enabling us to detect nontransmural ischemic areas of the myocardium. General characteristics and possibilities of the subtraction technique were tested on a simple myocardial phantom. Some clinical results of the application of this method on CAD patients are presented and discussed. In CAD patients in whom only nontransmural ischemic lesions are present, the subtraction of 'distance-shaded' images is decisive for a correct diagnosis. (orig.)

No abstract available

[en] The topographic information provide by PET may still be useful in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of these patients, and the FDG-PET would have contributed to a modification of stage in 26/87 patients (30%), to a changing in treatment strategy in 43/87 cases (49,5%) and to a substantial reduction of shape and/or size of radiotherapy portals in 13 cases. (author)

No abstract available

No abstract available

[en] The use of radiopharmaceuticals is the distinguishing characteristics of nuclear medicine. Among the panel of available radiopharmaceuticals in many PET centers around the world, choline is well represented, being widely used to image prostate cancer. Carbon-11 labelled choline can only be produced in centres with a cyclotron available, but the 18F-labelled radiopharmaceutical is distributed and licensed in several countries in Europe. Besides prostate cancer, other possible uses of choline are related to its ability to indirectly evaluate the cell proliferation as a measure of the synthesis of lipids required for cell membrane. In particular, the radiopharmaceutical can be successfully used in those districts where ¹⁸F-FDG has a high uptake, like the brain. Moreover, slow growing tumors, not always taking up ¹⁸F-FDG, like hepatocellular carcinoma, can also be imaged. We will evaluate possibly uses of this molecule in patients affected by prostate cancer, brain tumors and hepatocellular carcinoma.

[en] We studied the performance of a new nebuliser (Pentasave) by comparison both in vitro and in vivo with a standard nebuliser (Respirgard II). In vitro, deposition of pentamidine labelled with technetium-99m human serum albumin was measured indirectly by capturing inhaled particles on an absolute filter and measuring radioactivity with a gamma camera. The nebulisers were initially assessed with a pentamidine dose of 100 mg in 5 ml al 44 psi and an air flow of 10 l/min for Respirgard II and 16 l/min for Pentasave. Nebuliser output, expressed as the percentage of the initial nebuliser radioactivity captured by the inhalation filter, was 15%±2% (mean±SD) for Respirgard II, and significantly increased to 23%±3% for an initial version and to 33%±2% for the final version of Pentasave. Measurements with a gamma camera in a group of ten patients with human immuno-deficiency virus infection were made in vivo. The results revealed that pulmonary drug distributions are good using both Respirgard II and Pentasave. We measured pulmonary pentamidine deposition of 20.22±4.31 mg using Respirgard II (with 300 mg in 5 ml) and of 16.00±7.18 mg using Pentasave (with 150 mg in 6 ml). These findings show that the therepeutic dose of pentamidine (9 mg) was widely exceeded with both nebulisers. (orig./MG)

[en] The high cost of virgin ¹⁸O-enriched water has forced many researchers to study methods to purify and recycle enriched water after the first irradiation for the production of radiopharmaceuticals. In our study, [¹⁸O]H₂O was purified by ozonolysis and distillation. Analyses showed a large decrease in impurities after this treatment. The purification procedure was carried out after the production of 94 batches of [¹⁸F]-FDG, which were manufactured using a GE Minitrace cyclotron and a GE Mx TracerLab synthesizer. Saturation yields after bombardment, using virgin and re-purified water were, respectively, 2864±204 MBq/μA and 2727±167 MBq/μA, a decrease of 5.5%. The decrease in [¹⁸F]-FDG yield, from 67.2±0.7% to 65.5±0.9%, can be ascribed to the irradiation step only