A new imaging agent for medullary carcinoma of the thyroid

Thyroid scintigraphy, using 99mTc(V) dimercaptosuccinic acid, was performed in four patients with pathologically confirmed medullary thyroid carcinoma and elevated serum calcitonin values. Significant uptake of the tracer was found in the clinically palpable cervical tumor masses, metastatic sites, and residual tumor. This finding, probably specific for medullary thyroid carcinoma, could be of great use in the diagnosis and the surgical follow-up.