The role of technetium-99m pentavalent DMSA in the management of patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid.

In order to assess the role of 99Tcm pentavalent dimercaptosuccinic acid (99Tcm (V)DMSA) scanning in the management of patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, we imaged 10 patients with histologically proven disease. Nine of the 10 patients were scanned after removal of the primary tumour, but with symptomatic or biochemical evidence of recurrence. One patient was imaged prior to thyroidectomy. In eight of the 10 patients 99Tcm(V)DMSA successfully identified tumour deposits, and it has been shown in this study to be a cheap, convenient radiopharmaceutical for studying this group of patients, producing high-quality images with low radiation doses, and contributing significantly to patient management.