Visualization of the thymus with therapeutic doses of radioiodine in patients with thyroid cancer.
Two cases of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid are presented in which whole-body scans following therapeutic doses of iodine-131 revealed intense anterior mediastinal uptake. In both cases, the mediastinal uptake was absent from scans obtained after removal of the entire thymus. Histologically, the resected thymus glands showed hyperplasia and contained neither thyroid tissue nor metastatic foci of thyroid carcinoma. We therefore concluded that anterior mediastinal uptake of radioiodine may be caused by hyperplasia of the thymus.
Michigishi
T
T
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kanazawa University Hospital, Japan.
Mizukami
Y
Y
Shuke
N
N
Yokoyama
K
K
Noguchi
M
M
Watanabe
Y
Y
Matsui
O
O
Aburano
T
T
Tonami
N
N
Hisada
K
K
D000328:Adult; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013952:Thymus Hyperplasia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014915:Whole-Body Counting
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes