The In-111 octreoscan scintigraphy in the management and the follow-up of patient with pulmonary carcinoid tumour

The aim of this study was to evaluate the "In-lll Octreotide Scintigraphy" (Octreoscan), in detecting primary carcinoid tumours of the lung and their metastases, and especially to check whether this diagnostic tool is useful in the follow up of patients affected with that disease. From February 1996 to August 1998, at the Thoracic Surgery Department of the University of Si ena, Octreoscan was performed in the staging of 6 patients with preoperativ e diagnosis of pulmonary carcinoid tumours and in the follow up of 13 patie nts operated on for these tumours. In two patients Octreoscan allowed the i dentification of hilar lymph-nodes metastases not detected with the Compute d Thomography (CT) scan but confirmed at the postoperative hystologic diagn osis. During the follow up of one patient operated on typical carcinoid (T1 N0M0), the scintigraphy let us identify some mediastinal lymph-nodes metast ases. The CT scan performed a few days later didn't show these lymph-nodal disease, while the CT scan, performed four months later, detected the lymph -nodal metastatic lesions. According to our results we can conclude that Oc treoscan has a higher sensitivity for pulmonary carcinoids tumours detectio n, and it is superior to CT scan or MR imaging in the identification of pre viously unsuspected metastases, particularly for lymph-node metastases.