Fluorescent scans may find use in thyroid evaluation
The first clinical results with fluorescent thyroid scanning, a new method that uses no radioisotopes, have given promising results.
The necessary radiation dosage is much lower than that of any other scanning technique, image resolution is reasonably good, and the method should be of particular value in evaluating hypothyroidism, Paul B. Hoffer, MD, told the Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in Washington, DC.
Radiation is so low, in fact, that he considers the technique safe for pregnant women and very young children.
Dr. Hoffer and colleagues at the University of Chicago and Argonne Cancer Research Hospital, Chicago, reported on the first 200 scans in 76 patients.
These preliminary results make fluorescent scanning appear to be a "useful clinical tool, either alone or in conjunction with conventional scanning," Dr. Hoffer said.
"The quality of the scan is, overall, only slightly inferior to
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