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A Rare Case of Abnormal Diffuse Brain Uptake on an 123I MIBG Scan in a Patient With High-Risk Neuroblastoma
Deepashri Basavalingu1, Murat Sadic2, Safia Cheeney1
1From the Nuclear Medicine Resident, Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Corresponding author, involved in the preparation and editing of manuscript including images. Nothing to disclose.
Abstract:
123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) is extensively used for initial staging and response evaluation in children with neuroblastoma. Physiological uptake of 123I-MIBG occurs in the salivary glands, liver, adrenal gland, myocardium, bowel, and thyroid gland. 123I-MIBG cannot cross an intact blood-brain barrier. We present the rare case of a 3-year-old boy with neuroblastoma and meningeal metastases who underwent an 123I-MIBG scan for disease restaging that showed abnormal brain uptake. Abnormal MIBG uptake in the brain can occur if there is disruption of the blood-brain barrier either secondary to metastases or after damage to blood-brain barrier.
