Aim: To compare and establish the value of 99mTc-MIBI (methoxyisobutiylisonitrile) and 99mTc-MDP (methylene diphosphonate) scintigraphy in patients with suspicion of breast cancer.
Patients and methods: The study included 105 patients. All patients were evaluated before surgery by 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MDP scintigraphy. Thoracic SPECT study (Multispect II, Siemens) was performed 10 min. after i.v. injection of 99mTc-MIBI and 2 hours after i.v. injection of 99mTc-MDP. Final diagnosis was achieved after operation by histology.
Results: 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy showed a better sensitivity (87%) than the 99mTc-MDP scintigraphy (81%) and the results are similar in specificity and validity, too.
Conclusions: The results suggest that 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy is a useful method in the preoperative diagnosis of patients with suspicion of breast cancer.