Poisoning ; drug therapy ; Thallium ; toxicity

Graphite ; Humans ; Spectrophotometry, Atomic ; methods ; Thallium ; urine

Adult ; Autopsy ; Female ; Hair ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Thallium ; poisoning

Adult ; Heavy Metal Poisoning ; Humans ; Male ; Poisoning ; Thallium ; poisoning

PURPOSE: The current study was designed to evaluate the ability of thallium-201 scintigraphy to predict the response to preoperative chemotherapy in osteosarcoma, by comparing changes in thallium uptake ratio after chemotherapy to the tumor necrosis ratio. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve osteosarcoma patients were included in this study. Thallium-201 scintigraphy was performed before and after preoperative chemotherapy, and the degree of tumor necrosis was estimated by histologic mapping postoperatively. To quantitatively determine thallium uptake, we drew a region of interest on the tumor side and on the contralateral normal side as a mirror image, and calculated the uptake ratio with dividing the gamma count in the tumor side by that of the normal side. We calculated these percent changes of thallium uptake ratio in the early and delayed phases, and compared these to the corresponding tumor necrosis ratio. RESULTS: Percent changes in the thallium uptake ratio were found to be correlated with the tumor necrosis ratio (p<0.03). This correlation was found in both the early (p<0.03) and delayed phase (p<0.03); moreover the correlation coefficient in early phase (0.79) was greater than that in the delayed phase (0.67). CONCLUSION: Thallium-201 scintigraphy could be effective at predicting the response to preoperative chemotherapy in osteosarcoma.
Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Osteosarcoma* ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Thallium

BACKGROUND: Coronary microcirculation impairment with sequential decrease in cardiac function is reflected by abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction reserve (LVEFR),which precedes diagnostic evidence of myocardial insult. However, prognostic utility of LVEFR is less, if not least explored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of LVEFR in predicting major cardiac events (MACE) among patients with and suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 245 patients who underwent stress thallium-201 myocardial perfusion scan (MPS) was conducted. The patients were categorized as having normal or abnormal perfusion scan. Each group was subdivided into normal and abnormal LVEFR groups. All subjects were followed up for any major adverse cardiac events 36 months after MPS through review of hospital records.
RESULTS: There was an overall increase in the likelihood of cardiac events with abnormal LVEFR (i.e., odds ratio of 2.99,p=<0.01). Majority of subjects with abnormal MPS also had abnormal LVEFR showing a significantly lower mean LVEFR (1.17± 7.30 vs. 3.02 ± 7.36p =<0.01).
CONCLUSION: Abnormal LVEFR can be used as an independent predictor of cardiac events which can be observed in subjects with normal and abnormal perfusion scans alike.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Thallium ; Omega-chloroacetophenone ; Microcirculation ; Stroke Volume ; Heart ; Thallium Radioisotopes ; Myocardium ; Perfusion Imaging

BACKGROUND: Serum thyroglobulin assays and I-131 imaging and routinely employed for the detection of remaining functioning thyroid tissue after surgery and radioiodine therapy. However, the sensitivity of I-131 is suboptimal resulting in cases of positive thyroglobulin test but negative I-131 imaging, potentially creating a dilemma in subsequent therapeutic management. Other radiopharmaceuticals, such as TI-201 may offer better sensitivity, although it is not clear whether this contributes to the decision-making for subsequent I-131therapy. This prospective cohort study aimed to determine if Tl-201 imaging identified thyroid tissues that will take up therapeutic I-131, and to help define its clinical utility.
METHODS: Fourteen consecutive patients who underwent surgery for well-differentiated thyroid cancer, had I-131 therapy at least eight months previously, and with elevated thyroglobulin (>10 ng/mL) but negative pre-therapy (111 MBq) I-131 whole body scan (WBS), were enrolled in the study. WBS was done using 56.74 MBq of Tl-201. All patients had repeat I-131 ablation (3.7-7.4GBq) one to two months after Tl-201 imaging. Post-therapy WBS was done four to seven days after.
RESULTS: All 14 patients had papillary thyroid carcinoma. Ten patients had a positive Tl-201 scan. Of the 14 subjects, only two had a positive post-therapy I-131 WBS, both whom had a positive Tl-201 scan. Thallium-201 scanning showed a fairly high sensitivity (71%) in demonstrating thyroid remnants or metastases using a thyroglobulin level of >10 ng/mL as standard. However, a positivel Tl-201 scan only has a predictive value of 20% for subsequent uptake of therapeutic I-131 as shown in the post-therapy scan.
CONCLUSION: Thallium-201 uptake correlates poorly with therapeutic I-131 uptake in thyroglobulin-positive, but I-131 scan-negative, differentiated thyroid cancer patients. Results of this study suggest that the presence of thyroid remnants and metastases on Tl-201 imaging is inappropriate as a basis for subsequent I-131 therapy.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Iodine Radioisotopes ; Thallium ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Carcinoma ; Neoplasms, Second Primary ; Thallium Radioisotopes

BACKGROUND: Serum thyroglobulin assays and I-131 imaging and routinely employed for the detection of remaining functioning thyroid tissue after surgery and radioiodine therapy. However, the sensitivity of I-131 is suboptimal resulting in cases of positive thyroglobulin test but negative I-131 imaging, potentially creating a dilemma in subsequent therapeutic management. Other radiopharmaceuticals, such as TI-201 may offer better sensitivity, although it is not clear whether this contributes to the decision-making for subsequent I-131therapy. This prospective cohort study aimed to determine if Tl-201 imaging identified thyroid tissues that will take up therapeutic I-131, and to help define its clinical utility.
METHODS: Fourteen consecutive patients who underwent surgery for well-differentiated thyroid cancer, had I-131 therapy at least eight months previously, and with elevated thyroglobulin (>10 ng/mL) but negative pre-therapy (111 MBq) I-131 whole body scan (WBS), were enrolled in the study. WBS was done using 56.74 MBq of Tl-201. All patients had repeat I-131 ablation (3.7-7.4GBq) one to two months after Tl-201 imaging. Post-therapy WBS was done four to seven days after.
RESULTS: All 14 patients had papillary thyroid carcinoma. Ten patients had a positive Tl-201 scan. Of the 14 subjects, only two had a positive post-therapy I-131 WBS, both whom had a positive Tl-201 scan. Thallium-201 scanning showed a fairly high sensitivity (71%) in demonstrating thyroid remnants or metastases using a thyroglobulin level of >10 ng/mL as standard. However, a positivel Tl-201 scan only has a predictive value of 20% for subsequent uptake of therapeutic I-131 as shown in the post-therapy scan.
CONCLUSION: Thallium-201 uptake correlates poorly with therapeutic I-131 uptake in thyroglobulin-positive, but I-131 scan-negative, differentiated thyroid cancer patients. Results of this study suggest that the presence of thyroid remnants and metastases on Tl-201 imaging is inappropriate as a basis for subsequent I-131 therapy.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Iodine Radioisotopes ; Thallium ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Carcinoma ; Neoplasms, Second Primary ; Thallium Radioisotopes

BACKGROUND: Coronary microcirculation impairment with sequential decrease in cardiac function is reflected by abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction reserve (LVEFR),which precedes diagnostic evidence of myocardial insult. However, prognostic utility of LVEFR is less, if not least explored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of LVEFR in predicting major cardiac events (MACE) among patients with and suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 245 patients who underwent stress thallium-201 myocardial perfusion scan (MPS) was conducted. The patients were categorized as having normal or abnormal perfusion scan. Each group was subdivided into normal and abnormal LVEFR groups. All subjects were followed up for any major adverse cardiac events 36 months after MPS through review of hospital records.
RESULTS: There was an overall increase in the likelihood of cardiac events with abnormal LVEFR (i.e., odds ratio of 2.99,p=<0.01). Majority of subjects with abnormal MPS also had abnormal LVEFR showing a significantly lower mean LVEFR (1.17± 7.30 vs. 3.02 ± 7.36p =<0.01).
CONCLUSION: Abnormal LVEFR can be used as an independent predictor of cardiac events which can be observed in subjects with normal and abnormal perfusion scans alike.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Thallium ; Omega-chloroacetophenone ; Microcirculation ; Stroke Volume ; Heart ; Thallium Radioisotopes ; Myocardium ; Perfusion Imaging

BACKGROUND: The reinjection of a small dose of thallium-201 after stress and delayed imaging often shows new redistribution in the region with persistent defect. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of incomplete redistribution on conventional delayed image and to compare the left venticular wall motion abnormality with myocardial viability in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: We studied 12 patients with chronic coronary artery disease, using exercise thallium-201 Single Photon Emission Tomopraphy(TI-201 SPECT) and coronary angiopraphy with contrast ventriculography. Patients received 2mCi of thallium intravenously during exercise, redistribution images were performd 4 hour late and a second dose of 1mCi of thallium was injected at rest immediately there after. The three sets of image(stress, redistribution and reinjection) were analyzed. The left ventricular myocardium was divided into 7 segments and regional wall motion was scored on scale from 2(normal) to -1(dyskinesis). RESULTS: 1) The redistribution was obtained in 42.9% of the segments with persistent TI-202 defect on 4 hour delayed image. 2) Myocardial viability was observed in 38.9% of regions with all motion abnormality on contrast ventriculography. 3) The wall motion score was lower in the segments with persistent TI-201 defect on reinjection image than those with transient defect(p<0.05). 4) In 42.9% of the regions with wall motion abnormality on contrast ventrculography before coronary artery bypass graft, normal TI-201 image was observed after coronary artery bypass graft. CONCLUSION: Thallium-201 reinjection image can be used to identify viable myocardium in segments that demonstrate a persistent thallium defect on conventional delayed images patients with chronic coronary artery disease and left venticular dysfuction.
Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Myocardium ; Thallium ; Transplants ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left*