PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Fukuchi, Kazuki AU - Ono, Yasuo AU - Nakahata, Yayoi AU - Okada, Yoko AU - Hayashida, Kohei AU - Ishida, Yoshio TI - Visualization of Interscapular Brown Adipose Tissue Using <sup>99m</sup>Tc-Tetrofosmin in Pediatric Patients DP - 2003 Oct 01 TA - Journal of Nuclear Medicine PG - 1582--1585 VI - 44 IP - 10 4099 - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/44/10/1582.short 4100 - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/44/10/1582.full SO - J Nucl Med2003 Oct 01; 44 AB - Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a site of nonshivering thermogenesis in mammals. The mitochondria of BAT operate in an uncoupled mode and increase fatty acid oxidation to produce heat at birth. Thus, the BAT of human infants and children contains more active mitochondria than that of adults. We surmised that because 99mTc-tetrofosmin can be absorbed by functional mitochondria in the myocardium and in tumor cells, it could reveal mitochondrial function in BAT. Methods: Between January 1999 and December 2002, we retrospectively analyzed 385 consecutive studies of 99mTc-tetrofosmin uptake in pediatric patients with cardiac disorders. All patients with symmetric 99mTc-tetrofosmin accumulation within the neck and shoulder region according to planar images were selected, and the features of the uptake were analyzed. Results: Increased symmetric 99mTc-tetrofosmin uptake in the interscapular BAT was a typical profile of 65 of the 385 patients (17%). The frequency of 99mTc-tetrofosmin uptake was significantly higher in winter than in spring or summer (P &lt; 0.05) and prominent in newborns. The frequency peaked between 0 and 2 y of age and then declined with age. Conclusion: Gamma-camera imaging with 99mTc-tetrofosmin can reveal interscapular BAT distribution in infants and children in terms of mitochondrial activity.