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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Comparative and Clinical Medicine
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1453441

Thyroid Scintigraphy of Healthy Cats using Small-Field-of-View Gamma Cameras

Provisionally accepted
Sijin Cha Sijin Cha Yeon Chae Yeon Chae Taesik Yun Taesik Yun Hakhyun Kim Hakhyun Kim Byeongteck Kang Byeongteck Kang *
  • Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Small-field-of-view (SFOV) gamma cameras can offer higher sensitivities than conventional gamma cameras. However, there are currently no reports on the efficacy and safety of thyroid scintigraphy using SFOV gamma cameras in veterinary medicine. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and radiation safety of an SFOV gamma camera for feline thyroid scintigraphy. Materials and Methods: Three veterinary staff members (operator, staff 1, and staff 2) performed thyroid scintigraphy on 10 healthy cats in this study. The operator administered either 2 or 4 mCi of technetium-99m pertechnetate (99mTcO−4) through the cephalic vein. At 20, 40, and 60 min after injection, thyroid images were obtained using a SFOV gamma camera under various acquisition conditions (100,000, 150,000, and 200,000 counts and 30 and 60 s). Thyroid scintigraphy images were analyzed by calculating the thyroid-to-salivary ratios (TSR) and thyroid-to-background ratios (TBR). Surface and ambient radiation were measured hourly from immediately after injection to 6 h. The cumulative occupational radiation doses were measured during the procedure. Results: The TSR and TBR median values aligned with the previously reported normal range obtained using a large-field-of-view gamma camera. There were no notable differences in TSR and TBR between the two doses of 99mTcO−4, nor across acquisition conditions and timelines. The 4-mCi group consistently emitted more ambient (p < 0.05) and surface (p < 0.05) radiation than did the 2-mCi group. Staff 1 consistently received higher cumulative radiation doses than did staff 2 and the operator (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The SFOV gamma camera demonstrated adequate image quality for thyroid scintigraphy in healthy cats even with relatively low doses and short acquisition conditions. Radiation exposure during the procedure posed minimal safety concerns. Therefore, the SFOV gamma camera could be a valuable tool for evaluating thyroid glands in cats.

    Keywords: Occupational radiation exposure, Technetium-99m pertechnetate, Radiation exposure, small field of view (SFOV) gamma camera, Thyroid scintigraphy

    Received: 23 Jun 2024; Accepted: 16 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Cha, Chae, Yun, Kim and Kang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Byeongteck Kang, Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.