131I Uptake in Bronchiectasis Detected by Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography during Follow-up of Thyroid Cancer

Ferdinando Calabria; Antonio Lanzillotta; Mario Leporace; Giuliana Guadagnino; Orazio Schillaci; Antonio Bagnato

doi:10.4103/ijnm.IJNM_157_18

¹³¹I Uptake in Bronchiectasis Detected by Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography during Follow-up of Thyroid Cancer

Indian J Nucl Med. 2019 Jul-Sep;34(3):235-236. doi: 10.4103/ijnm.IJNM_157_18.

Authors

Ferdinando Calabria¹, Antonio Lanzillotta¹, Mario Leporace¹, Giuliana Guadagnino², Orazio Schillaci^{3

4}, Antonio Bagnato¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics, "Mariano Santo" Hospital, 87100, Cosenza, Italy.
² Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, "St. Annunziata" Hospital, 87100, Cosenza, Italy.
³ Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
⁴ Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, IRCCS INM Neuromed, Pozzilli (IS), Italy.

Abstract

During follow-up of thyroid cancer, ¹³¹I whole-body scan showed intense tracer uptake in the right hemithorax of a patient previously submitted to thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer. Thyroglobulin was undetectable at the time of the scan. Single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) of the thorax correctly identified widespread bronchiectasis ¹³¹I-avid in the middle lobe of the right lung. After bronchoalveolar lavage, a bronchial specimen was positive for Mycobacterium avium infection. Hybrid imaging with SPECT/CT allowed to correctly identify a false-positive case of ¹³¹I uptake due to inflammation in a single diagnostic session, minimizing patient discomfort or misdiagnoses.

Keywords: 131I; bronchiectasis; pitfalls; single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography; uptake.