Monday, December 1 | 8:10 a.m.-8:20 a.m. | M1-SSNMMI02-4 | Room S501
In this scientific session on novel radiopharmaceuticals, a study suggests that PET/CT imaging with the radiotracer gallium-68 (Ga-68) trivehexin offers high sensitivity for detecting hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue.
Ultimately, the technique can potentially serve as an effective alternative when conventional imaging is inconclusive, notes lead author Dilara Zorba, MD, a resident at Istanbul University in Turkey, who will present the study.
The researchers enrolled 38 patients with biochemically confirmed primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). All participants underwent lab tests along with cervical ultrasonography, standard technetium-99m sestamibi SPECT (MIBI), and Ga-68 trivehexin PET/CT. Additional imaging included 4D-CT (n=16) and F-18 choline PET/CT (n=8). Two nuclear medicine physicians independently evaluated the imaging studies visually and semi-quantitatively.
According to findings, Ga-68 trivehexin PET/CT (TRV-PET) detected lesions of 35 patients (92%) while MIBI was positive in 28 (74%) (p <0.05). In lesion-based analysis, TRV-PET identified 49 of 50 lesions (98%), while MIBI only detected 29 lesions (58%) (p < 0.01). TRV-PET showed clear uptake in 18 lesions with equivocal MIBI findings and revealed two lesions missed by both MIBI and F-18 choline PET/CT. Only one lesion identified by MIBI was negative on TRV-PET.
“TRV-PET offers high sensitivity for detecting hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue and can potentially serve as an effective alternative when conventional imaging is inconclusive,” the researchers conclude.
Grab a coffee and catch this Monday morning study, which was awarded a Trainee Research Prize in the Resident category by RSNA.