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Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Establishment of a Simple and Effective Rat Model for Intraoperative Parathyroid Gland Imaging
Published on: August 17, 2022
¹⁸F-Fluorocholine PET/CT for localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue in primary hyperparathyroidism: a
Luka Lezaic1, Sebastijan Rep, Mojca Jensterle Sever
1Department for Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloska 7, 1525, Ljubljana, Slovenia, luka.lezaic@kclj.si.
Purpose:
Primary hyperparathyroidism is a common endocrine disorder which is diagnosed biochemically and for which therapy is surgical. A prerequisite for minimally invasive surgery, which minimizes morbidity and cost, is accurate localization of the involved gland(s). The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of (18)F-fluorocholine PET/CT for preoperative localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue.
Methods:
(18)F-Fluorocholine PET/CT and conventional parathyroid scintigraphic imaging consisting of (99m)Tc-sestaMIBI SPECT/CT, (99m)Tc-sestaMIBI dual-phase imaging and (99m)Tc-sestaMIBI/pertechnetate subtraction imaging were performed in 24 patients. The diagnostic performance of the imaging methods was compared against histology as the gold standard and postoperative serum Ca(2+) and iPTH values.
Results:
The sensitivity and specificity of (18)F-fluorocholine PET/CT were 92% and 100%, respectively, in contrast to 49% and 100%, 46% and 100%, and 44% and 100% for (99m)Tc-sestaMIBI SPECT/CT, (99m)Tc-sestaMIBI/pertechnetate subtraction imaging and (99m)Tc-sestaMIBI dual-phase imaging, respectively. Combined conventional scintigraphic imaging had a sensitivity and specificity of 64% and 100%, respectively. The performance of (18)F-fluorocholine PET/CT was superior particularly in patients with multiple lesions or hyperplasia.
Conclusion:
(18)F-Fluorocholine PET/CT appears to be a promising, effective imaging method for localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue.
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