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EANM practice guideline/SNMMI procedure standard for RAIU and thyroid scintigraphy

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging volume 46, pages 2514–2525 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction

Scintigraphic evaluation of the thyroid gland enables determination of the iodine-123 iodide or the 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake and distribution and remains the most accurate method for the diagnosis and quantification of thyroid autonomy and the detection of ectopic thyroid tissue. In addition, thyroid scintigraphy and radioiodine uptake test are useful to discriminate hyperthyroidism from destructive thyrotoxicosis and iodine-induced hyperthyroidism, respectively.

Methods

Several radiopharmaceuticals are available to help in differentiating benign from malignant cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules and for supporting clinical decision-making. This joint practice guideline/procedure standard from the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) provides recommendations based on the available evidence in the literature.

Conclusion

The purpose of this practice guideline/procedure standard is to assist imaging specialists and clinicians in recommending, performing, and interpreting the results of thyroid scintigraphy (including positron emission tomography) with various radiopharmaceuticals and radioiodine uptake test in patients with different thyroid diseases.

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Fig. 1

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the EANM and SNMMI committees and national delegates for their critical review of the manuscript. Also, we appreciate the great support of Sonja Niederkofler from the EANM office in Vienna and Julie Kauffman from the SNMMI office in Reston during the development of this guideline.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic for Nuclear Medicine and Thyroid Competence Center, Imaging Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Via Ospedale 6, CH-6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland

    Luca Giovanella

  2. Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Luca Giovanella

  3. Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Anca M. Avram & Susan A. Lawson

  4. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Papageorgiou Hospital, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Ioannis Iakovou

  5. Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA

    Jennifer Kwak

  6. Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Elizabeth Lulaj

  7. Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, Marburg University Hospital, Marburg, Germany

    Markus Luster & Frederick A. Verburg

  8. Nuclear Medicine Unit, Imaging Department, Ente Ospedaliero Ospedali Galliera, Genoa, Italy

    Arnoldo Piccardo

  9. Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, Cologne University Hospital, Cologne, Germany

    Matthias Schmidt

  10. Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Penn State University, Hershey, PA, USA

    Mark Tulchinsky

  11. Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, David Grant Medical Center, Vacaville, CA, USA

    Ely Wolin

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  1. Luca Giovanella
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  11. Frederick A. Verburg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luca Giovanella.

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Conflict of interest

L.G. is member of Roche Diagnostics’ advisory board and has received research grants and speaker honoraria from Roche Diagnostics, IBSA, and Sanofi-Genzyme. F.A.V. has received research grants from Sanofi-Genzyme and speaker honoraria from Sanofi-Genzyme, Diasorin, and Jubilant Draximage. M.L. has received research grants and speaker honoraria from Sanofi-Genzyme, Bayer, and Astra Zeneca. Other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. E.W. states that the opinions and assertions expressed herein are his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the Department of Air Force of the USA.

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Giovanella, L., Avram, A.M., Iakovou, I. et al. EANM practice guideline/SNMMI procedure standard for RAIU and thyroid scintigraphy. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 46, 2514–2525 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-019-04472-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-019-04472-8

Keywords

  • Thyroid
  • Scintigraphy
  • Radioiodine uptake test
  • 99mTc-sestaMIBI, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose