title: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography diagnostics by means of fluorine-18-L-dihydroxyphenylalanine in congenital hyperinsulinism.
abstract: The unfavorable prognosis of congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) can be avoided if the patients are treated with high-dose glucose infusions and timely surgical intervention. Circumscribed foci used to be identified by selective percutaneous pancreatic vein catheterization and determination of the insulin level. Fluorine-18-L-dihydroxyphenylalanine-positron emission tomography (PET) was developed as a milder alternative for diagnostic localization of focal disease. The uptake of fluorine-18-L-dihydroxyphenylalanine is considerably increased in foci with high insulin synthesis rates. In Berlin, diagnosis was achieved by high definition PET/computed tomography with multiphase contrast media protocols that provided all necessary data with one investigation. We have investigated 135 patients with congenital hyperinsulinism, including 45 patients with focal disease (33.3%). All the foci were excised on the basis of PET/computed tomography images. The German data demonstrate that 87% to 91% of the operated patients could be completely healed.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostisch Therapeutisches Zentrum, Kadinerstrasse, Berlin, Germany. nuklearmedizin@berlin-diagnostik.de
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mohnike
authors.forename: Winfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Barthlen
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mohnike
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Blankenstein
mesh_terms: D044903:Congenital Hyperinsulinism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007980:Levodopa; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D018579:Patient Selection; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D007980:Levodopa