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Thallium-201 uptake in cytomegalovirus encephalitis
R J Gorniak1, E L Kramer, A A McMeeking
1Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
Summary
Thallium-201 SPECT scans showed high uptake in an AIDS patient's brain lesion, mimicking tumor. However, biopsy revealed cytomegalovirus infection, questioning SPECT's specificity in differentiating infections from tumors in AIDS.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Radiology
Background:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients are susceptible to opportunistic infections and neoplasms affecting the brain.
- Differentiating between neoplastic disease and opportunistic infections in the central nervous system of AIDS patients can be diagnostically challenging.
- Thallium-201 (201Tl) SPECT imaging is sometimes used to aid in this differentiation.