Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Establishment of a Simple and Effective Rat Model for Intraoperative Parathyroid Gland Imaging
Published on: August 17, 2022
Feasibility of Hyperfunctioning Parathyroid Gland Localization Using [18F]fluciclovine PET/CT
Akinyemi A Akintayo1, O A Abiodun-Ojo2, C Weber3
1Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Emory University Hospital, 1364 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, USA. aakint2@emory.edu.
Purpose:
To evaluate the ability of anti-1-amino-3-anti-1-amino-3-[18F]fluorocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid ([18F]fluciclovine) positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) in comparison to Technetium-99m 2-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile ([99mTc]sestamibi) single-photon emission computed tomography/CT (SPECT/CT) for the localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands in patients with hyperparathyroidism.
Procedures:
Four patients with hyperparathyroidism underwent 60-minutes sequential neck and thorax PET/CT after [18F]fluciclovine (352 ± 28 MBq) injection. Lesion uptake and target-to-background ratios (TBR) were compared with [99mTc]sestamibi (798 ± 27 MBq) SPECT/CT in the same patient.
Results:
Both techniques detected 4/5 hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands identified at surgery. The highest [18F]fluciclovine uptake and TBRs were at 5-9 min with rapid washout. [99mTc]sestamibi had significantly higher TBRs compared with [18F]fluciclovine (5-9 min) for blood pool (10.9 ± 4.7 vs 1.3 ± 0.6; p < 0.01) and reference muscle backgrounds (5.8 ± 3.0 vs 1.7 ± 0.6; p < 0.01), with non-significant trend for thyroid tissue background (1.3 ± 0.5 vs 1.1 ± 0.5; p = 0.73).
Conclusion:
Hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands can be detected on [18F]fluciclovine PET/CT at early imaging, but conspicuity (TBR) is better with [99mTc]sestamibi. [18F]fluciclovine PET/CT does not seem promising in the detection of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Parathyroid Glands
Oxyphil cells, whose functions remain elusive, emerge during late puberty, adding a layer of complexity to the parathyroid gland's intricacies. In contrast, principal parathyroid cells undertake a vital role by...
Exocrine Glands: Unicellular and Multicellular Glands
The Pituitary Gland
The Pineal Gland
The primary secretion of the pineal gland is the hormone melatonin, derived from serotonin. The concentration of melatonin in the...
The Mammary Glands
Each breast features a pigmented projection known as the nipple, through which milk emerges via closely spaced openings of ducts, referred to as lactiferous ducts. Surrounding the nipple is a circular pigmented area of skin named the areola, which appears rough due to...
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...

