Tc-99m sestamibi uptake in the chest mimicking a malignant lesion of the breast.
The use of nuclear medicine imaging of the breast has resulted in the improved diagnosis of breast cancer (Radiology 196 (1995) 421; J. Nucl. Med. 36 (1995) 1758). It's use is becoming more widespread, particularly as breast optimized scintigraphy with a high-resolution, breast-specific gamma camera has been developed (J. Nucl. Med. 43 (2002) 909; J. Nucl. Med. 45 (2004) 553). With the increasing use of breast-optimized scintigraphy, pitfalls in the interpretation of breast-optimized scintigraphy are being recognized. This report describes a previously unrecognized cause for a false positive interpretation of scintimammography due to tumor uptake of the radiotracer in the chest as a result of physiologic activity in the auricular aspect of the right atrium.
Department of Internal Medicine, Divisions of Nuclear Medicine, Saint Louis University, 3635 Vista Ave., Grand Blvd., FDT 2 South, St. Louis MO, 63110-0250, USA. civelek@slu.edu
A Cahid
AC
Civelek
Pavni
P
Patel
Elcin
E
Ozalp
Rachel F
RF
Brem
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi