TO THE EDITOR: Kushner et al investigate the most sensitive modality for early detection of relapse in patients with asymptomatic high-risk neuroblastoma who had previously achieved complete remission or very good partial remission. They demonstrate that iodine123 (I) metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scanning was the only positive surveillance scan in 27% of patients and conclude that IMIBG scann...

Survival of patients with metastatic pheochromocytoma that have exceeded 30 years without therapy to reduce tumors have been reported. We reviewed the records of 38 patients with malignant pheochromocytoma who had received 131I-metaiodiobenzylguanidine (131I-MIBG) treatments between 1981 and 1996 to evaluate longevity. Survival from diagnosis to last follow-up exceeded 5 years in 21 of 38 (55%)...

PURPOSE The norepinephrine transporter (NET) is a critical regulator of catecholamine uptake in normal physiology and is expressed in neuroendocrine tumors like neuroblastoma. Although the norepinephrine analog, meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), is an established substrate for NET, (123)I/(131)I-MIBG has several clinical limitations for diagnostic imaging. In the current studies, we evaluated me...

Objective(s): 68Ga-DOTATATE positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) has shown promising results in imaging of neural crest tumors (NCT). Herein, we compared the performance of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and 131I-MIBG single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT in the initial diagnosis, staging and follow-up of pa...

PURPOSE We retrospectively examined whether or not initial responses of first low-dose (131)I-meta-iodo-benzyl-guanidine radiotherapy ((131)I-MIBG therapy) in patients with malignant pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma had prognostic values. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study included 26 patients with malignant pheochromocytoma (n = 18) and paraganglioma (n = 8) who underwent the first (131)I-MI...

The aim of this study was to investigate whether, in subjects with a very early stage of coronary artery disease without hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenoses, cardiac adrenergic innervation is already affected. Methods: Quantitative coronary angiography and dual-isotope SPECT with 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) and 99mTc-sestamibi (MIBI) were conducted to assess the functio...

We present the case of a 61-year-old man who underwent I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy based on clinical suspicion of pheochromocytoma. The study was nondiagnostic secondary to diffuse muscle uptake. On review of his medications, the patient was found to be taking mirtazapine, a tetracyclic antidepressant (Remeron). We hypothesize that the MIBG biodistribution was altered by m...

A 58-year-old man, who had biopsy-proven cardiac sarcoidosis, underwent TI-201 and I-123 MIBG cardiac scintigraphy. Although no perfusion defect was identified by Tl-201, mild heterogeneity of I-123 MIBG uptake was present in the myocardium. The denervated but viable myocardium was demonstrated in the heart with sarcoidosis. Cardiac sympathetic nerve function was impaired in cardiac sarcoidosis...

Paragangliomas (PGLs) are rare neuroendocrine neoplasms of the autonomic nervous system dispersed from the skull base to the pelvic floor. We reported an extremely rare case with coexisting PGL of the retroperitoneum and urinary bladder. The patient complained of episodes of severe headache and palpitation during micturition, with a 1-year history of uncontrolled hypertension. The (131)I-metaio...

Radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) was developed in the late 1970's, at the Michigan University Medical Center, for imaging of the adrenal medulla and its diseases. Soon after, MIBG was shown to depict a wide range of tumors of neural crest origin other than pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas (Pheo/PGL) with the result that its use rapidly spread to many countries. After more than 30 y...