125 Review Article Radioisotope imaging for discriminating benign from malignant cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules Olivier Rager1,2, Piotr Radojewski1, Rebecca A. Dumont1, Giorgio Treglia3, Luca Giovanella3, Martin A. Walter1 1Nuclear Medicine Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; 2IMGE (Imagerie Moléculaire Genève), Geneva, Switzerland; 3Clinic of Nuclear Medicine and PET/CT Center, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland Contributions: (I) Conception and design: O Rager, MA Walter; (II) Administrative support: MA Walter; (III) Provision of study materials or patients: All authors; (IV) Collection and assembly of data: All authors; (V) Data analysis and interpretation: All authors; (VI) Manuscript writing: All authors; (VII) Final approval of manuscript: All authors. Correspondence to: Olivier Rager, MD. Nuclear Medicine Department, Geneva University Hospitals, 4 rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Email:
[email protected]. Abstract: The risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytological classification (Bethesda III–IV) ranges from 10% to 40%, and early delineation is essential as delays in diagnosis can be associated with increased mortality. Several radioisotope imaging techniques are available for discriminating benign from malignant cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules, and for supporting clinical decision-making. These techniques include iodine-123, technetium-99m-pertechnetate, technetium-99m-methoxy-isobutyl- isonitrile (technetium-99m-MIBI), and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (fluorine-18-FDG). This review discusses the currently available radioisotope imaging techniques for evaluation of thyroid nodules, including the mechanism of radiotracer uptake and the indications for their use. Keywords: Thyroid nodules; Bethesda III/IV; scintigraphy; positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) Submitted Feb 11, 2019. Accepted for publication Mar 19, 2019.