~(99m)Tc-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile imaging in identification of benign and malignant breast lesions and detection of metastatic axillary lymph node

Objective: To identify benign and malignant breast lesions and detect metastatic axillary lymph nodes using 99m Tc methoxyisobutyl isonitrile(MIBI) imaging. Methods: Fifty one women with a palpable breast lesions and 11 patients suspicious of metastatic lymph node after primary breast cancer operation were studied with planar imaging 10 min and 60 min after injection of 99m Tc MIBI. Semiquantitative analysis of uptake ratio(UR) of 99m Tc MIBI in locations of tumour and lymph nodes were performed. All the results were compared with pathologic study. Results: In palpable lesions, the sensitivity of 99m Tc MIBI planar imaging for detecting primary breast cancer was 93.3% and the specificity was 95.2%;The positive predictive value was 96.6%. The negative predictive value was 90.9%. The sensitivity of 99m Tc MIBI planar imaging to detect metastatic axillary lymph nodes was 64.0% and the specificity was 94.1%;The positive predictive value was 94.1%. The negative predictive value was 64.0%. Conclusion: 99m Tc MIBI planar imaging has high sensitivity and specificity for differentiation of breast tumors and detection of axillary lymph node involvement. [