Imaging of tumors involving bone with 13N-glutamic acid.

Nitrogen-13 labeled L-glutamic acid was evaluated as an imaging agent for tumors involving bone. The enzymatically prepared labeled compound was administered intravenously to dogs with spontaneous tumors, and tumor uptake was determined with a gamma camera and rectilinear scanner. These tumors were well visualized with 13N-glutamic acid, and the results compared favorably with uptake studies performed on the same animals with 99mTc-diphosphonate.