title: Consolidating the role of *I-MIBG-scintigraphy in childhood neuroblastoma: five years of clinical experience.
abstract: In recent years, *I-MIBG (*I-metaiodobenzylguanidine), which is transported and stored in the chromaffin cells, has been shown to allow good visualization of neuroblastomas in children. This paper deals with 30 *I-MIBG-scans performed in 20 children: 16 with neuroblastoma, 3 with retinoblastoma, and 1 with a malignant paraganglioma. A high detection rate was found for both primary and secondary sites of neuroblastoma. *I-MIBG was generally superior to 99mTc-MDP bone scintigraphy in the detection of bone metastases. Our experience illustrates the unique place of *I-MIBG-scintigraphy compared with other imaging techniques: it makes it possible to define the nature of the tumour, particularly in cases with normal catecholamine levels; to establish how extensive the lesions are at the time of diagnosis; and to confirm complete remission. No abnormal *I-MIBG uptake was noted in the 3 cases of retinoblastoma.
authors.affiliation: Free Universities of Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delree
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Desprechins
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Otten
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferster
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jonckheer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piepsz
mesh_terms: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D007462:Iodobenzenes; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010235:Paraganglioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012175:Retinoblastoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D007462:Iodobenzenes; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine