Quantitative estimation and clinical significance of accumulation and washout of thallium-201 chloride in follicular thyroid neoplasm.
OBJECTIVE
Uptake and washout ratios of thallium-201 chloride (201TlCl) were studied to confirm their clinical applicability in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant follicular lesions of the thyroid.


METHODS
Sixty-six patients with follicular tumor of the thyroid underwent preoperative thallium scintigram after an intravenous injection of 2 mCi (74 MBq) of 201TlC1. The early accumulation and washout ratios of 201TlCl were obtained by an online data-processing system. All tumors were surgically resected and histopathologically diagnosed as either follicular adenoma (49 patients) or follicular carcinoma (17 patients). Scintigraphic values in terms of the early accumulation and washout ratios were compared between follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
Both the early accumulation and washout ratios were significantly higher in follicular carcinoma than in follicular adenoma. It was concluded that dynamic studies on accumulation and washout rates of 201TlCl might be clinically reliable to differentiate between follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma.
Yada
Hiroshi
H
Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical School, Minami-Kawachi, Tochigi, Japan.
Hozumi
Yasuo
Y
Kanazawa
Kyotaro
K
Nagai
Hideo
H
D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013793:Thallium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; C027549:thallium chloride; D013793:Thallium