title: How frequently is the thymus seen on whole-body iodine-131 diagnostic and post-treatment scans?
abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine how often the thymus is visualized on whole-body radioiodine scans. One hundred and seventy-five patients had 325 diagnostic scans and 200 post-treatment scans. Activity in the mediastinum possibly consistent with the thymus was seen on seven scans in six patients. Four of these were diagnostic scans (three were second follow-up scans, and the fourth, a third follow-up scan). Three post-treatment scans demonstrated mediastinal uptake. Only one patient had persistent mediastinal uptake on both a post-treatment scan and a subsequent follow-up diagnostic scan. None of these six patients were treated as a result of this finding and none has clinical or biochemical evidence of metastatic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: McDougall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D014915:Whole-Body Counting
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes