[Scintigraphic imaging of benign and malignant tumors of the sympathetic nervous system with meta-iodobenzylguanidine].

The authors report on their experiences with metaiodine-benzylguanidine (MIBG) scintiscanning in a total of 36 patients. 7 of these patients had a benign pheochromocytoma, 4 a malignant one; neuroblastoma was seen in 10 patients. Scintiscan diagnosis was supplemented by measurements of irradiation exposure and attainable tumour dose. It was also shown that it is possible to mark neuroblastoma cells in cultures. The results of these studies are discussed and compared with those of other working groups. If the physiological pattern of distribution is taken into consideration, and if the proper imaging technique is adopted, MIBG scintiscan is a sensitive and highly specific method in diagnosing pheochromocytomas and neuroblastomas.