Value of ~(99m)Tc MIBI scintimammography in the differential diagnosis betwwen benign breast tumor,breast cancer and lymph node involvement

Purpose:To sutdy the clinical value of 99m Tc MIBI scintimammography in the differential diagnosis between breast cancer and benign breast tumor and lymph node involvement. Methods:68 female patients with breast masses underwent 99m Tc MIBI breast scintigraphy. The images were acquired 10 min after injection of 740 MBq 99m Tc MIBI intravenously. The intravenous injection was performed into an antecubital vein in the arm on the side opposite to the breast mass. Results:38 of 68 patients were breast carcinoma, among them 34 were detected using 99m Tc MIBI scintimammography. Of 30 patients with benign lesions, 3 were positive. The sensitivity and specificity of 99m Tc MIBI scintimammography in detecting breast cancer was 89.5% and 90% respectively. 6 of 8 with pathologically proven metastatic lymph node involvement were detected. Conclusions: 99m Tc MIBI scintimammography is a highly sensitive method in the detection of breast cancer. This study also show the potential value of the procedure to detect lymph node mvolvement.