title: [Gallium-67 in rheumatic fever: preliminary report].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To validate the importance of 67Ga imaging to diagnose activity in rheumatic fever carditis and in the follow-up of treated patients with the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients with rheumatic fever were studied. Fifteen males and 15 females aged 7 to 39 years old (median 16 years), were submitted to 67Ga imaging. The patients were divided into two groups: GA--20 patients who received only clinical treatment and GB--11 patients (one from group A) submitted to surgical biopsy. In 12 patients from GA, sequential 67Ga imaging were also realized for the therapeutic follow-up. Fifty-five 67Ga images were reviewed subjectively by experienced observers and a semi-quantitative analysis processed in a dedicated computer was performed with ROI's of 10 x 20 pixels over the projection of the heart and right lung in 22 negative and 33 positive studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group A--In 19 patients (95%) the 67Ga uptake matched with the clinical evidence, EGC and echocardiogram results. In one patient (5.0%) the 67Ga study was negative, but there were clinical and EKG evidence of activity of the disease; from these data this case was then considered as false negative. Group B--In 11 patients submitted to surgical biopsy, the clinical-scintigraphic-histologic correlation matched in 10 cases and mismatched in one. The semi-quantitative analysis of the 67Ga uptake with ROI's over the topography of the heart and right lung showed an percentage index heart x right lung of 114.5 +/- 17.5% (2 s.d.) in normals and 158 +/- 30% (2 s.d.) in patients with active carditis: these data had value in the therapeutic follow-up of 12 patients from GA, where occurred good correlation, in every case, of the 67Ga uptake index and clinical evolution and EKG findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 67Ga imaging is a non invasive diagnostic method with a good sensitivity to the diagnosis of activity in rheumatic carditis, to evaluate the therapeutic results and to define inactivity for surgical cases.
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Base da Fundção Hospitalar do Distrito Federal, Brasília.
authors.forename: J U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Calegaro
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: E de F
authors.initials: Ede F
authors.lastname: Gomes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012213:Rheumatic Fever / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes
vernacular_title: Gálio67 na febre reumática: experiência preliminar.