What are causes of focal areas of decreased flow within a kidney? Most causes involve mass effect from a lesion such as a cyst, abscess, or tumor (benign or malignant) that has altered renal morphologic features. Scarring in the kidney from chronic pyelonephritis or chronic ureteral reflux can also lead to focally decreased renal flow. …
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What should patients know about renal scintigraphy, and what preparation should they be given? In general, there is little in the way of patient preparation for a renal scan, although patients should be well hydrated. Patients should refrain from taking furosemide, which is sometimes given during the scan to help evaluate for obstruction. Angiotensin converting …
What is salivary gland scintigraphy used for, and how is it performed? A salivary gland study is used to evaluate patients with suspected abnormalities in salivary gland function (e.g., with Sjögren’s disease) or with salivary gland tumors. The scan does not require a specific patient preparation. Typically, 5 to 10 mCi of 99m Tc pertechnetate is injected intravenously …
Is 18 F fluorodeoxyglucose PET useful in the management of thyroid cancer? In general, FDG PET has no application in the initial diagnosis of thyroid cancer because there is overlap of FDG uptake between benign and malignant thyroid tumors. FDG PET can be very useful, however, in patients previously treated for thyroid cancer who now …
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What are some possible causes of a thyroid scan in which there is no uptake or minimal uptake of radiotracer by the thyroid gland? When there is no thyroid radiotracer uptake observed on a thyroid scan, there are several potential causes. Patients may have thyroiditis, in which the inflammatory process has destroyed most or all …
How do a recombinant human thyrotropin Thyrogen scan and treatment work? A Thyrogen scan is performed by subcutaneously administering a synthetic version of TSH on two consecutive days and then performing the radioiodine scan to detect thyroid tissue. Usually, patients stop taking thyroid medications to ensure that the TSH is maximally stimulating any residual thyroid …
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General management plan for thyroid cancer What is the general management plan for patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer? Usually, patients who are diagnosed with thyroid cancer initially undergo surgery to remove the thyroid gland. Occasionally, one lobe is removed first, and then, if cancer is detected, the other lobe is removed. Most of the time, …