Visualization of Brown Adipose Tissue with 99mTc-Methoxyisobutylisonitrile on SPECT/CT
Sibyll Goetze 1,
William C. Lavely 1,
Harvey A. Ziessman 1,
and
Richard L. Wahl 1*
1 Division of Nuclear Medicine, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rwahl{at}jhmi.edu.
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Abstract |
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Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is retained into adulthood in some patients. It has been imaged using several radiopharmaceuticals, including 18F-FDG. Using SPECT/CT, we assessed whether and how frequently uptake of 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) was present in expected locations of BAT. Methods: A total of 205 SPECT/CT scans using 99mTc-MIBI for parathyroid imaging were reviewed for the presence of 99mTc-MIBI uptake in expected locations of BAT. Results: We detected 99mTc-MIBI uptake in BAT in 13 of 205 patients (6.3%). When BAT was visualized, it was detected on both early and delayed scans. The patients with 99mTc-MIBI uptake in BAT were younger than the patients with no 99mTc-MIBI uptake (P = 0.044). Conclusion: Uptake of 99mTc-MIBI in BAT is relatively common in this adult patient population and should not be confused with 99mTc-MIBI-avid–tumors. SPECT/CT can be useful for defining such tracer uptake as a normal physiologic variant.
Key Words:
brown adipose tissue, hybrid imaging, 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile, SPECT/CT
