title: Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy patterns in patients with sarcoidosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder, most frequently involving the lungs, skin, or eyes. Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) can visualize sarcoid granulomas through binding of a radionuclide-coupled somatostatin analog to somatostatin receptors that are expressed in sarcoidosis. Uptake and patterns on SRS were studied and correlated to clinical and conventional findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 218 SRSs undertaken for the analysis of potential sarcoidosis were studied. These scintigraphies were retrospectively studied on intensity uptake degrees and localization of sarcoidosis-associated lesions, and compared with conventional radiological techniques (chest x-ray and CT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all but 1 of the 175 evaluable patients, SRS demonstrated uptake. In patients with thoracic sarcoidosis-associated lesions, SRS improved the yield of visualization of chest x-ray in 20 (36%) and CT in 7 (32%) of histologically unproven patients, and in 31 (30%) and 8 (14%) of the histologically proven patients, respectively. Mediastinal lesions together with either eye, salivary glands, clavicular, or hilar localizations were most frequent demonstrated on SRS and constituted characteristic patterns. Exclusive extrapulmonary disease was found in 6% of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy enhances the yield of investigations in sarcoidosis patients and therefore provides a useful and sensitive imaging technique to monitor organ involvement and therapeutic efficacy in patients with sarcoidosis.
authors.affiliation: From the *Section of Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Departments of †Immunology, ‡Nuclear Medicine, and §Ophthalmology, The Rotterdam Eye Hospital, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lieke S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Kamphuis
authors.forename: Dik J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kwekkeboom
authors.forename: Tom O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Missotten
authors.forename: G Seerp
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Baarsma
authors.forename: Virgil A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Dalm
authors.forename: Willem A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Dik
authors.forename: W Marieke
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Timmermans
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: van Daele
authors.forename: P Martin
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: van Hagen
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: van Laar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008477:Mediastinal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D004369:Pentetic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: C442550:(111)indium-DTPA-D-phe octreoide; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D004369:Pentetic Acid