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Radiosynovectomy is a local form of radiotherapy used as second-line treatment in the management of inflammatory and non-inflammatory arthropathies with unsatisfactory response to local or systemic corticosteroid therapy. Its efficacy is similar to that of surgical synovectomy, with the advantages of being a low-cost and minimally- invasive treatment that requires a shorter recovery time. Its efficacy is greater in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis characterized by synovitis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile chronic arthritis with mono/oligoarticular involvement, especially in upper extremity joints. A number of isotopes can be used in colloidal suspensions. Rhenium-186-sulphide colloid is currently indicated for the treatment of medium-sized joints. The ultrasound-guided injection is suitable for small joints, such as wrist. For proper and safe use and administration of this technique the collaboration of a trained and experienced radiologist is critical to successful treatment.

La radiosinovectomía es una forma local de radioterapia utilizada como tratamiento de segunda línea en el manejo de artropatías inflamatorias y no inflamatorias con respuesta insatisfactoria a la terapia sistémica o local con corticoesteroides. Tiene una eficacia similar a la sinovectomía quirúrgica, con las ventajas de ser un tratamiento de menor costo, menos cruento y con menor tiempo de convalecencia. Su eficacia es mayor en artropatías inflamatorias caracterizadas por sinovitis, como la artritis reumatoide y artritis crónica juvenil, con compromiso mono u oligoarticular y en articulaciones de extremidades superiores. Existen múltiples isótopos que se pueden utilizar en suspensiones coloidales, siendo el sulfuro coloidal de renio-186 el utilizado para la articulación radiocarpiana. Una técnica de administración adecuada es fundamental para el éxito del tratamiento, siendo la inyección con guía ultrasonográfica adecuada para articulaciones de volumen pequeño, instancia en la que la colaboración del médico radiólogo entrenado es fundamental.

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We report a 56 years-old man presenting with chest pain with exercise, seven years after an orthotopic heart transplant. A coronary angiography showed an atherosclerotic lesion in the common left main coronary artery with more than 90 percent obstruction. The lesion was successfully treated with a transluminal angioplasty with stenting. A 131-1 metaiodobenylguanidine (MIBG) scan demonstrated sympathetic reinnervation. Sixteen months later, due to progression of allograft vasculopathy, coronary artery bypass was required.

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Thyroid carcinoma is the most prevalent endocrine tumor, and the papillary carcinoma (PC) is the most common histological type. In the follow-up, after thyroidectomy serum thyroglobulin (s-Tg) is used as a marker to evaluate recurrence of thyroid carcinoma. In most cases, this parameter allows an adequate diagnosis, but occasionally s-Tg may miss the detection of a recurrence. We report a 57 year-old female and a 36 year-old male sujected to a total thyroidectomy for a papillary thyroid carcinoma with intermediate and high-risk of recurrence. Both had a cervical recurrence without a concomitant increase in s-Tg levels. In both, Tg staining was positive in the tumor cells. These cases confirm that in these patients, the follow-up must be done with measurement of s-Tg and complementary diagnostic tests.

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We report a 56 years-old man presenting with chest pain with exercise, seven years after an orthotopic heart transplant. A coronary angiography showed an atherosclerotic lesion in the common left main coronary artery with more than 90% obstruction. The lesion was successfully treated with a transluminal angioplasty with stenting. A 131-1 metaiodobenylguanidine (MIBG) scan demonstrated sympathetic reinnervation. Sixteen months later, due to progression of allograft vasculopathy, coronary artery bypass was required.

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Functional brain imaging with PET and SPECT have a definitive and well established role in the investigation of a variety of conditions such as dementia, epilepsy and drug addiction. With these methods it is possible to detect early rCBF (regional Cerebral Blood Flow) changes seen in dementia (even before clinical symptoms) and differentiate Alzheimer's disease from other dementias by means of the rCBF pattern change. 18-F-FDG PET imaging is a useful tool in partial epilepsy because both rCBF and brain metabolism are compromised at the epileptogenic focus. During the seizure, rCBF dramatically increases locally. Using SPECT it is possible to locate such foci with 97% accuracy. In drug addiction, particularly with cocaine, functional imaging has proven to be very sensitive to detect brain flow and metabolism derangement early in the course of this condition. These findings are important in many ways: prognostic value, they are used as a powerful reinforcement tool and to monitor functional recovery with rehabilitation. There are many other conditions in which functional brain imaging is of importance such as acute stroke treatment assessment, trauma rehabilitation and in psychiatric and abnormal movement diseases specially with the development of receptor imaging.

Existen numerosas indicaciones claramente establecidas para el uso del SPECT y PET en patología neuro-psiquiátrica, particularmente en el estudio de demencias, epilepsia y adicción a drogas. Estos métodos permiten detectar precozmente (aun antes de las manifestaciones clínicas) cambios en la perfusión y metabolismo cerebral en pacientes con demencias. Es posible además diferenciar la enfermedad de Alzheimer de otras causas de demencia, analizando el patrón de la alteración neuro- funcional. En epilepsia parcial, tanto el metabolismo como la perfusión están alterados en el foco epileptogénico, lo que puede ser detectado con F-18FDG PET. Durante la crisis epiléptica, el flujo sanguíneo puede aumentar dramáticamente en el foco epileptogénico, lo que puede ser detectado con SPECT con 97% de certeza. En pacientes drogadictos, especialmente a la cocaína, estos métodos han demostrado ser muy sensibles para la detección precoz de cambios en el flujo y metabolismo cerebral, lo que es clínicamente importante en varios aspectos: 1) Tiene valor pronóstico (neuro-funcional), 2) Se puede usar para aumentar la adherencia a la terapia y 3) Permite evaluar objetivamente la recuperación funcional. Existen muchas otras indicaciones presentes y futuras, por ejemplo: en la monitorización de la revascularización en accidentes vasculares cerebrales agudos, rehabilitación post TEC, estudio de patología psiquiátrica y movimientos anormales especialmente con el desarrollo de radioligandos.

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A silent, reversible myocardial ischemia with normal coronary angiography and reversible with thyroid hormone substitution, has been recently described in hypothyroid patients. We report a 49 years old male with an abnormal exercise electrocardiogram detected in a preventive medical examination. He had laboratory evidence of hypothyroidism and a history of two years of asthenia and progressive coarsening of the voice. The Thallium myocardial perfusion study, showed an alteration of coronary flow during exercise in the septum and lower wall of the left ventricle. Thyroid hormone substitution was started and three months later, a coronary angiography was normal. After six months a repeated Thallium perfusion study and exercise electrocardiogram were informed as normal

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Background: 99mTc red blood cell scintigraphy is a non invasive diagnostic method for low flow gastrointestinal bleeding. Aim: To assess the diagnostic yield of this method in patients admitted with gastrointestinal bleeding in whom upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was negative. Patients and methods: The clinical records of 59 patients, aged 6 to 90 years old (35 male), with active gastrointestinal bleeding subjected to a 99mTc red blood cell scintigraphy were reviewed. All had non diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopic studies, and in 20 a selective arteriography was performed. Results: In 40 patients the scintigraphy was positive for gastrointestinal bleeding, and in 57 percent of these the exam was positive during the first hour. Fifteen of the 19 patients with a negative scintigraphy did not have an active clinical bleeding at the moment of the examination. In 24 patients, a final ethiological diagnosis was reached. In 93 percent of these patients scintigraphy correctly identified the bleeding site. In one patient with a negative scintigraphy, angiography disclosed a pseudo aneurysm of the splenic artery that was not bleeding actively. Conclusions: In these patients with negative upper gastrointestinal endoscopy 99mTc red blood cell scintigraphy had a 91 percent sensitivity for the diagnosis of active gastrointestinal bleeding

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Patients and methods: Patients hospitalized for a first episode of acute myocardial infartion were blindly and randomly assigned to receive ramipril (2.5 mg bid), spironolactone (25 mg bid) or placebo. Ejection fraction, left ventricular en diastolic and end systolic volumes were measured by multigated radionuclide angiography, at baseline and after six months of treatment. Results: Twenty four patients were assigned to placebo, 31 to ramipril and 23 to spironolactone. Age, gender; Killip class, treatment with thrombolytics, revascularization procedures and use of additional medications were similar in the three groups. After six months of treatment, efection fraction increased from 34,5 ñ 2,3 to 4,2 ñ 2,4 percent in patients on ramipril, from 32,6 ñ 2,9 to 36,6 ñ 2,7 percent in patients on spironolactone, and decreased from 37 ñ 3 to 31 ñ 3 in patients on placebo (ANOVA between gropus p < 0.05). Basal end systolic volumen was similar in all three gropus, increased from 43,4 ñ 3,4 to 61,4 ñ 6,0 ml/m2 in patients on placebo and did not change in patients on spironolactone or ramipril (ANOVA p < 0.05). End diastolic volume was also similar in the three groups, increased from 70,6 ñ 4,3 to 92,8 ñ 6,4 ml/m2 in patients on placebo and did no change with the other treatments. Conclusions: Ramipril and spironolactone had similar effects on ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infaction, suggesting that aldosterone contributes to this phenomenon and that inhibition of its receptor may be as effective as ACE inhibition in its prevention

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153 SmEDTMP was obtained from enriched 153Sm irradiated at the 5 MW Chilean Research reactor and labelled at a molar ratio of 15:1 pH 7.5. Biodistribution, autoradiography, radiochemical purity tests were done for evaluation. 40 patients were treated with 37-55 MBq/kg weight. Bone scans using 99mTcHMDP were obtained prior and after treatment. Bone marrow depression was observed in 37 percent of them and normal liver function in all of them. In 45 percent the pain dissapear completely, in 22,5 percent significantly decreased and partially in 30 percent. In 17 patients more than one dosis was injected. Our preliminary results indicate that 153 SmEDTMP is a promising radiotherapeutic agent for palliative treatment of metastasic bone cancer pain and encourage its use specially because it can be produced in countries with low economic resources, thus a large number of patients can get the benefits of this new procedure

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