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a Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiological Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105-2794, USA b Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Patras, Rion-GR-26504, Greece c Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Medical Center, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, UH B1G 505D, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0028, USA d Reproductive Biology and Medicine Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1109, USA
Key Words: nuclear medicine methods • radionuclide imaging • positron emission tomography • pheochromocytoma diagnosis
Address for correspondence: Karel Pacak, M.D., Ph.D., Section on Medical Neuroendocrinology, Reproductive Biology and Medicine Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, CRC, 1 East, Room 1-3140, 10 Center Drive, MSC-1109, Bethesda, MD 20892-1109. Voice: 301-402-4594; fax: 301-402-4712. e-mail: karel{at}mail.nih.gov
Most pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas should be evaluated with anatomical imaging (computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging) followed by functional imaging (nuclear medicine modalities). Functional imaging assures that the tumor is indeed a pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma and enables more thorough localization, especially detecting as many lesions as possible (in particular for metastatic disease). Functional imaging for pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas, can use radiolabled ligands specific for pathways of synthesis, metabolism, and inactivation of catecholamines or nonspecific ligands. In an overview of the available nuclear medicine modalities, we summarize the accumulated experience and recommend when functional imaging should be applied to patients with pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma.
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