FDG PET imaging of paragangliomas of the neck: comparison with MIBG SPET

Two patients with cervical paragangliomas underwent positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[ 18 F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG). There was marked tumor uptake and retention of FDG. Adjacent salivary gland accumulation of FDG was minimal, though quite prominent with meta -iodobenzylguanidine. FDG PET offers another potentially useful approach to functional imaging of these uncommon tumors, independent of the presence of specific amine uptake mechanisms or cell surface receptors required by other scintigraphic techniques.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46837/1/259_2004_Article_BF00801625.pd

Validity and reproducibility of ultrasonography for the measurement of intra-abdominal adipose tissue

OBJECTIVE: We studied the validity and reproducibility of a new abdominal ultrasound protocol for the assessment of intraabdominal adipose tissue. MEASUREMENTS: Intra-abdominal adipose tissue was assessed by CT MRI, anthropometry and ultrasonography on a single day. By ultrasonography the distance between peritoneum and lumbar spine was measured using a strict protocol, including the location of the measurements, pressure on the transducer and respiration. All measurements were repeated after 3 months. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 19 overweight patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 32.9 kg/m(2) (s.d. 3.7), intra-abdominal adipose tissue on CT 140.1 cm(2) (s.d. 55.9), and a mean ultrasound distance of 9.8 cm (s.d. 2.5). There was a strong association between the CT and ultrasonographic measures: Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.81 (P <0.001). The correlation between ultrasound and waist circumference was 0.74 (P <0.001), the correlation between CT and waist circumference was 0.57 (P = 0.01). Ultrasound appeared a good method to diagnose intra-abdominal obesity: the area under the ROC curve was 0.98. During the follow-up period of 3 months, the patients lost on average almost 3 kg of body weight. The correlation coefficient between changes in intra-abdominal adipose tissue assessed by CT and ultrasound was 0.74 (P <0.001). The correlation coefficient of the mean ultrasound distance assessed by two different sonographers at baseline was 0.94 (P <0.001), the mean difference 0.4 cm (s.d. 0.9), and the coefficient of variation 5.4%, indicating good reproducibility of the ultrasound measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this validation study show that abdominal ultrasound, using a strict protocol, is a reliable and reproducible method to assess the amount of intra-abdominal adipose tissue and to diagnose intra-abdominal obesity