The role of pentavalent tc-99m dmsa in the differential diagnosis for cervical lymphadenopathies

Abstract

Twenty patients with palpable cervical lymphadenopathy underwent Tc-99m (V) DMSA scintigraphy during their diagnostic work-up. In this prospective study, the scintigraphic findings were correlated with the clinical diagnoses and the results of the routine laboratory tests (complete blood count, biochemical analyses, chest X-ray, and tuberculin skin tests) and histopathological examinations of the excisional biopsy specimens.In patients with tuberculous lymphadenitis (diagnosed clinically and histopathologically) the intense Tc-99m (V) DMSA uptake in the involved cervical lymph nodes was found to be significant.In seems thaï Tc-99m (V) DMSA scintigraphy is a safe and non-invasive diagnostic imaging modality, that may be utilized in the initial work-up to assist in the differential diagnosis of cervicallymphadenopathies. The observed affinity of the radiopharmaceutical for mycobacteria-infected cervical lymph nodes seems to be congruent with the localization mechanism (i.e. structural similarity to phosphate ion) proposed by Ohta and his coworkers.