The role of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile scintigraphy in the planning of therapy and follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma after surgery

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) scan in planning post-surgical therapy and follow-up in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Four groups of DTC patients were considered: Group 1 comprised 122 patients with high serum thyroglobulin (s-Tg) levels and negative high-dose iodine-131 scan during follow-up who had previously undergone total thyroidectomy and I-131 treatment. Group 2 consisted of 27 patients who had previously undergone total thyroidectomy and I-131 treatment but were now considered disease-free; this group was considered as controls. Group 3 comprised 49 patients studied after total thyroidectomy but prior to I-131 scan. Finally, group 4 consisted of 21 patients who had previously undergone partial thyroidectomy alone. MIBI scan, neck ultrasonography (US), and s-Tg measurements during suppressive hormonal therapy (SHT) were obtained in all patients. Neck and chest computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was also performed in group 1 patients. In group 1, MIBI scan and US were very sensitive in detecting cervical lymph node metastases (93.54% and 89.24%, respectively). Furthermore, MIBI scan and US played a complementary role in several patients, yielding a global sensitivity of 97.84%. Tn contrast, CT/MRI sensitivity for cervical lymph node metastases was very low (43.01%). MIBI scan also showed a higher sensitivity than CT/MRI in detecting mediastinal lymph node metastases (100% vs 57.89%). Regarding distant metastases, MIBI scan provided results similar to those of conventional imaging (CT, MRI, Tc-99m-methylene diphosphonate bone scan). In group 2, no false-positive cases were observed with MIBI scan (100% specificity). In group 3, MIBI scan correctly identified all the I-131-positive metastatic foci, except in two patients with micronodular pulmonary metastases that were visualised with I-131 scan. In contrast, both MIBI scan and US showed low sensitivity (46.15% and 61.53%, respectively) compared with I-131 scan in detecting thyroid remnants. s-Tg was increased in all patients with distant metastases but only in 56% of those with lymph node metastases. Furthermore, s-Tg was increased in 21.42% of patients with thyroid remnants alone (false positive results). In group 4, MIBI scan was the only examination capable of detecting at an early stage a mediastinal lymph node metastasis in one patient. We conclude that the integrated MIBI scan/neck US protocol: (a) can be proposed as a first-line diagnostic procedure in the follow-up of DTC patients with high s-Tg levels and negative high-dose I-131 scan, and (b) may be helpful in the follow-up of DTC patients who undergo partial thyroidectomy alone. Moreover, the combined MIBI scan/neck US/s-TS protocol appears to be highly sensitive in identifying patients with metastatic disease after total thyroidectomy and prior to I-131 scan; consequently, it may play a prognostic role in distinguishing high-risk from low-risk DTC patients. However, due to the low sensitivity of MIBI scan and neck US in detecting thyroid remnants, this diagnostic approach cannot be used as a predictor of I-131 scan results. Lastly, because of the high sensitivity of MIBI scan and neck US in revealing both functioning and non-functioning metastases, this integrated protocol might be helpful in the follow-up of high-risk DTC patients, particularly for the early detection of lymph node metastases in patients with undetectable s-Tg during SHT.