Bronchiectasis simulating pulmonary metastases on iodine-131 scintigraphy in well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma.
Differentiated thyroid cancer is an uncommon disease that carries a good prognosis when treated adequately. Radioiodine treatment is often used as an adjunct to surgery because this has been associated with increased survival, particularly in the presence of iodine-avid soft tissue metastases. Multiple different false-positive scans can occur in the absence of residual thyroid tissue or metastases. Recognition of these potential false-positive iodine-131 (I-131) scans is critical to avoid the unnecessary exposure to further radiation from repeated therapeutic doses of radioactive iodine. We report a case of physiological uptake of radioactive iodine in the bronchiectatic bronchial tree bilaterally, potentially masquerading as pulmonary metastases.
Jong
Ian
I
Department of Medical Imaging, St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Taubman
Kim
K
Schlicht
Stephen
S
D000328:Adult; D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*