title: I-131 MIBG post-therapy scan is more sensitive than I-123 MIBG pretherapy scan in the evaluation of metastatic neuroblastoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (I-123 MIBG) scintigraphy is gradually replacing I-131 MIBG scans in the diagnostic workup of neuroblastoma. High-dose I-131 MIBG, however, is commonly used for subsequent therapy in patients with proven MIBG-avid lesions. The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivities of pretherapy I-123 MIBG and post-therapy I-131 MIBG scans for detecting metastatic lesions of neuroblastoma and determine the suitability of post-therapy scans for detecting new metastases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pretherapy I-123 MIBG scans and post-therapy I-131 MIBG scans of 126 patients with neuroblastoma were analyzed retrospectively and the number of detected lesions was compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 70 patients (55.6% cases), the pretherapy and post-therapy scans were concordant, showing similar MIBG-avid foci. In the remaining 56 patients (44.4% cases), the post-therapy I-131 MIBG scans revealed additional lesions (i.e. a total of 716 lesions) compared with pretherapy I-123 MIBG scans (only 532 lesions). All lesions detected on pretherapy I-123 MIBG scans were revisualized on the post-therapy I-131 MIBG scans, the latter also revealing 184 new MIBG-avid lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Post-therapy I-131 MIBG scans demonstrate new lesions in almost half of the patients when compared with pretherapy I-123 MIBG scans and therefore are essential to delineate the disease extent.
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Beijing Friendship Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Jigang
authors: J
authors: Yang
authors: Ion
authors: I
authors: Codreanu
authors: Sabah
authors: S
authors: Servaes
authors: Hongming
authors: H
authors: Zhuang
mesh_terms: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine