Nucl Med Mol Imaging.  2009 Feb;43(1):48-54.

The value of Dedicated Tc-99m MIBI Scintimammography in the Evaluation of Patients with Palpable Breast Lesions in Comparison with Mammography: Preliminary Result

• Cho A
• Cho H
• Yun M
• Park BW
• Kim MJ
• Kim EK
• Kang WJ
• Lee JD

Abstract

PURPOSE: There are few studies evaluating the usefulness of dedicated high-resolution scintimammography and no studies using delayed washout with this dedicated high resolution scintimammography for the evaluation of breast lesions. We underwent this study to evaluate the clinical usefulness of Tc-99m MIBI in evaluating patients with palpable breast lesions using dedicated high-resolution scintimammography.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study included 19 patients with 23 palpable breast lesions who underwent mammography. Tc-99m MIBI was taken to further characterize these lesions. Scintimammography images were acquired with standard craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique views and delayed images were additionally taken. Final conclusions were based on histopathology, either by biopsy or mastectomy results.
RESULTS
Eighteen lesions were malignant and five were benign. Mammography was indeterminate for thirteen lesions, nine of those were malignant. Mammography also categorized one lesion as benign in a dense breast, but scintimammography and pathology results showed malignancy. Of the five benign lesions, two were visible on scintimammography, but delayed images showed washout.
CONCLUSION
Based on our preliminary results, dedicated high resolution scintimammography seems to be very useful in characterizing palpable lesions that were indeterminate or negative on mammography.

Keyword

Tc-99m MIBI; dedicated high-resolution scintimammography; breast cancer

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Breast
Breast Neoplasms
Humans
Mammography
Mastectomy