^99mTc-Ethambutol Scintigraphy with Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography in Lymph Node...

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Radiopharmaceuticals

Background:

• Lymph node tuberculosis (LNTB) poses diagnostic challenges.
• Accurate and early diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and patient outcomes.
• Novel imaging agents can improve diagnostic capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate 99mTc-labeled ethambutol (99mTc-EMB) as a diagnostic tool for LNTB.
• To assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of 99mTc-EMB scintigraphy in patients with suspected LNTB.

Main Methods:

• Prospective pilot study involving adult patients diagnosed with LNTB.
• Administration of 10-15 mCi of 99mTc-EMB followed by serial whole-body planar imaging and SPECT-CT.
• Analysis of 99mTc-EMB uptake correlated with clinicoradiological findings.

Main Results:

• 19 interpretable scans from 23 recruited patients were analyzed.
• Cervical lymphadenopathy was the most common presentation (68.42%).
• Positive 99mTc-EMB scans were observed in 53.84% of patients with cervical LNTB, with variable uptake in other affected nodal sites and pulmonary lesions.

Conclusions:

• 99mTc-EMB scintigraphy shows promise in visualizing drug penetrance in LNTB.
• The imaging agent may aid in the diagnosis of LNTB.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is recommended to validate these findings.