title: Correlation between gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid contrast enhancement and thallium-201 chloride uptake in pediatric brainstem glioma.
abstract: We previously showed that thallium-201 (201Tl) chloride is accumulated in over 75% of brain tumors, including brainstem gliomas. The imaging of 201Tl with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) may require an abnormal increase in permeability of tumor vessels to allow penetration of the blood-brain barrier. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the correlation between gadolinium enhancement and the degree of 201Tl uptake on SPECT and the contributions of either gadolinium enhancement or 201Tl uptake to the prognosis in children with brainstem gliomas. Forty-two sets of paired SPECT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained longitudinally in 13 cases. Altogether, 31 of 42 pairs (74%) of scans showed concordance between the presence of gadolinium enhancement and 201Tl uptake. There were no cases that demonstrated 201Tl uptake but lacked gadolinium enhancement. The results indicate that 201Tl SPECT is of value primarily when brainstem tumors have vessels that are demonstrably permeable to gadolinium, prior to or as a result of radiotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Neuro-Oncology Program, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Maria
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Drane
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Quisling
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Hoang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018450:Disease Progression; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000592:standards; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA