title: Gallium-67 imaging of pericardial lymphoma in AIDS.
abstract: A 33-yr-old homosexual man with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and Mycobacterium avium intracellulare (MAI) infection presented with fever, sweats, lethargy and dyspnea. A chest radiograph showed cardiomegaly and an echocardiograph revealed a large pericardial effusion. After pericardial aspiration, which confirmed T cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, he remained dyspneic. Gallium-67 imaging was performed to determine whether the patient's residual dyspnea was related to pulmonary MAI infection or lymphomatous infiltration of the heart. Planar 67Ga scintigraphy revealed intense tracer uptake in two areas within the mediastinum and surrounding the entire heart shadow but no evidence of pulmonary MAI infection. SPECT 67Ga scintigraphy precisely localized the two mediastinal abnormalities and demonstrated the tracer uptake around the heart to be pericardial rather than myocardial. Gallium-67 scintigraphy suggested that pericardial lymphoma was the likely basis of the patient's dyspnea.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London Medical School, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Prvulovich
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bomanji
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ell
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications; D000328:Adult; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016483:Lymphoma, AIDS-Related / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes