Nuclear medicine imaging of the parathyroid

Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2004 Aug;37(4):909-39, xi-xii. doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2004.02.019.

Abstract

Nuclear medicine sestamibi parathyroid imaging is now a standard preoperative assessment for patients with hyperparathyroidism. Since the introduction of Technetium-99m (99mTc) sestamibi for parathyroid imaging in 1989 there has been a steady refinement in the imaging technique. The accuracy is determined by the scan technique employed, with the dual-isotope (123Iodine/99mTc sestamibi)scan providing better accuracy than the simpler sestamibi washout method. Now the pathologic parathyroid process can be localized preoperatively with great confidence, limiting the time and extent of the neck dissection and allowing a significant number of parathyroid surgeries to be performed as outpatient procedures.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Iodine Radioisotopes
  • Parathyroid Glands / diagnostic imaging*
  • Parathyroidectomy
  • Preoperative Care
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Subtraction Technique
  • Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Substances

  • Iodine Radioisotopes
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi