PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Chio Okuyama
AU  - Yo Ushijima
AU  - Takao Kubota
AU  - Toshihide Yoshida
AU  - Takako Nakai
AU  - Kana Kobayashi
AU  - Tsunehiko Nishimura
TI  - <sup>123</sup>I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine Uptake in the Nape of the Neck of Children: Likely Visualization of Brown Adipose Tissue
DP  - 2003 Sep 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 1421--1425
VI  - 44
IP  - 9
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/44/9/1421.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/44/9/1421.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2003 Sep 01; 44
AB  - The distribution of radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) has been studied primarily in patients with neuroendocrine tumors—in pediatrics, particularly with neuroblastomas. Sometimes, symmetric accumulation in which no tumor is identified is seen in the nape-of-the-neck region. We estimated visually whether accumulation was found in the nape of the neck and studied the characteristics of the accumulation. Methods: Retrospectively, we investigated 266 123I-MIBG scintigraphic studies performed on pediatric patients who had been treated for neuroendocrine tumors or who were suspected of having such tumors. Results: Accumulation in the nape of the neck was seen in 32 of 266 studies (12%); in none of these cases was the accumulation identified as a tumor by other imaging modalities or follow-up studies. In the same individuals, the accumulation varied and it was observed more often during winter. Conclusion: Symmetric 123I-MIBG accumulations in the nape-of-the-neck region observed in children are thought to be related to the uptake in brown adipose tissue.