title: Compensatory uptake of I-123 MIBG in the contralateral adrenal gland after removal of a pheochromocytoma.
abstract: The identification of recurrent or residual tumor tissue is sometimes complicated. The authors describe a 53-year-old woman in whom I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy revealed a pheochromocytoma in the right adrenal gland. After the tumor was removed, the patient's catecholamine levels normalized. At the 3-month follow-up examination, I-123 MIBG scintigraphy did not reveal uptake in the right adrenal region but rather showed uptake in the left adrenal region. The patient's blood pressure remained in the normal range. A third scintigram, obtained 1 year after tumor resection, no longer detected I-123 MIBG accumulation in the left adrenal gland. These findings suggest that compensatory hyperplasia of the left adrenal gland led to enhanced uptake of I-123 MIBG. They also highlight the need for careful follow-up of such patients to distinguish between physiologic and pathologic processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hendrikus H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Boersma
authors.forename: Johanna W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wensing
authors.forename: T Liang
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Kho
authors.forename: L Maurits
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: De Brauw
authors.forename: Ing Han
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Liem
authors.forename: Marinus J P G
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Van Kroonenburgh
mesh_terms: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008875:Middle Aged; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000601:surgery*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine