The Radioactive Handkerchief Sign A Contamination Artifact in I-131 Imaging for Metastatic Thyroid Carcinoma

False-positive findings suggestive of metastatic functioning thyroid carcinoma have been well documented in I-131 whole-body imaging. These artifacts are often associated with contamination from radioiodine-containing body secretions. Recently, a contaminated handkerchief on an iodine-131 whole-body...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical nuclear medicine 1990-07, Vol.15 (7), p.491-494
Main Authors: POCHIS, WILLIAM T, KRASNOW, ARTHUR Z, ISITMAN, ALI T, CERLETTY, JAMES M, KIR, K METIN, HELLMAN, ROBERT S, COLLIER, B DAVID
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
Biological and medical sciences
BODY
CARCINOMAS
CONTAMINATION
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DATA COVARIANCES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSIS
DISEASES
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
Endocrine glands. Genital system. Mammary gland
False Positive Reactions
Female
GLANDS
Humans
IMAGE PROCESSING
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
IODINE 131
IODINE ISOTOPES
Iodine Radioisotopes - pharmacokinetics
ISOTOPES
Male
Medical sciences
METASTASES
Middle Aged
Nasal Mucosa - metabolism
Neoplasm Metastasis - diagnostic imaging
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
PROCESSING
RADIOISOTOPES 550601 > Medicine-- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
Radionuclide Imaging
Radionuclide investigations
REVIEWS
THYROID
Thyroid Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging
WHOLE-BODY COUNTING
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:False-positive findings suggestive of metastatic functioning thyroid carcinoma have been well documented in I-131 whole-body imaging. These artifacts are often associated with contamination from radioiodine-containing body secretions. Recently, a contaminated handkerchief on an iodine-131 whole-body scan was reported. In the following study, two additional cases involving the sequestration of I-131 contaminated handkerchiefs in patientsʼ pockets are presented, and the literature regarding these false-positive findings is reviewed. Although rare, this “radioactive handkerchief sign” may cause serious misinterpretation of a focal radioiodine accumulation.
ISSN:0363-9762
1536-0229
DOI:10.1097/00003072-199007000-00008