Clinical Nuclear Medicine · 1987 · 37 citations · 0 references
MedicineRadiologySurgeryEndocrine OncologyMetastasisSurgical OncologyThyroid CancerThyroid DisordersThyroid ImagingThyroid ScintigraphyThyroid SurgeryThyroid Uptake StudiesIodine-123 ImagingIodine-131 ScintigraphyMetastatic Thyroid Tissue DetectionOperative RemovalPapillary Thyroid Carcinoma ImagingSmall Bowel ImagingTc-99m Bone ScintigraphyThyroid Tumor Imaging
A 13-year-old girl demonstrated abnormal I-131 uptake in the abdomen after total thyroidectomy for recurrent papillary-follicular thyroid carcinoma. Although a vertebral metastasis was suspected, a negative bone scan and normal computed tomography of the vertebra militated against this diagnosis. A Tc-99m abdominal scintigram and a small bowel roentgenogram revealed images typical of a Meckel's diverticulum. Exploratory laparotomy did not reveal metastases, and I-131 uptake was no longer demonstrated after operative removal of the Meckel's diverticulum. Uptake of I-131 by a Meckel's diverticulum can mimic metastatic thyroid cancer.