#1 ·
I couldn't seem to find a thread quite right for this on the forum, so I'm hoping this space might serve as a helpful resource for anyone else trying to make sense of medical reports...
My mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer via a biopsy. Her thyroid was removed two years ago. She underwent radioactive iodine therapy, and honestly, the prognosis seemed nearly flawless—at least based on everything her doctors were telling us at the time...
If someone could help me interpret this scintigraphy report she received today:
"Findings:
SCAN TYPE: Early and delayed static scintigrams of both hands, delayed static scintigram of the head and neck (LL), and a skeletal scintigraphy.
On both the early and delayed static scintigrams of both hands, there is easily increased tracer uptake in the DIP joints of the 2nd and 3rd fingers of both hands, suggesting an inflammatory-degenerative etiology.
The delayed static scintigram of the hands also shows a focal area of increased uptake in the mid-portion of the left radiocarpal joint, as well as in the PIP joint of the 3rd finger of the left hand and the MCP joint of the 2nd finger of the left hand, which appears degenerative in nature.
In the remaining parts of the skeleton, there is pathological tracer uptake in the upper cervical spine, and targeted radiological follow-up is recommended.
Increased uptake is also visible in the middle and lower portions of the cervical spine, both shoulder joints, both elbow joints, and bilaterally at the L4/L5 junction (facet joint projection), which is most likely degenerative in origin.
Radiopharmaceutical: Tc99m diphosphonate
Activity mCi (MBq): 20
"
______________________________________
To provide some extra context for interpreting the results above, here are her other scans and findings:
Brain MSCT:
"Densities of the infra- and supratentorial brain parenchyma are normal. Small punctate calcifications are visible bilaterally in the basal ganglia. No focal lesions are identified. Ventricular structures are midline and normally shaped. Cisternal spaces at the base and sulci on the cerebral convexity are appropriate for her age. As an incidental finding in the bony structures, altered bone structure is noted in the form of degenerative changes in the area of the right anterior arch of the atlas and the right condyle, with more pronounced subchondral pseudocystic rarefaction—clinical picture?, history?..."
Regarding the FBI, it notes, among other things, that the "results are within normal limits".
My mom has been complaining about headaches for quite a while now, which was actually the reason she went in for these tests in the first place. She is 66 years old.
How certain is it that my mother has cancer? And what else could these findings be pointing toward...?
My mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer via a biopsy. Her thyroid was removed two years ago. She underwent radioactive iodine therapy, and honestly, the prognosis seemed nearly flawless—at least based on everything her doctors were telling us at the time...
If someone could help me interpret this scintigraphy report she received today:
"Findings:
SCAN TYPE: Early and delayed static scintigrams of both hands, delayed static scintigram of the head and neck (LL), and a skeletal scintigraphy.
On both the early and delayed static scintigrams of both hands, there is easily increased tracer uptake in the DIP joints of the 2nd and 3rd fingers of both hands, suggesting an inflammatory-degenerative etiology.
The delayed static scintigram of the hands also shows a focal area of increased uptake in the mid-portion of the left radiocarpal joint, as well as in the PIP joint of the 3rd finger of the left hand and the MCP joint of the 2nd finger of the left hand, which appears degenerative in nature.
In the remaining parts of the skeleton, there is pathological tracer uptake in the upper cervical spine, and targeted radiological follow-up is recommended.
Increased uptake is also visible in the middle and lower portions of the cervical spine, both shoulder joints, both elbow joints, and bilaterally at the L4/L5 junction (facet joint projection), which is most likely degenerative in origin.
Radiopharmaceutical: Tc99m diphosphonate
Activity mCi (MBq): 20
"
______________________________________
To provide some extra context for interpreting the results above, here are her other scans and findings:
Brain MSCT:
"Densities of the infra- and supratentorial brain parenchyma are normal. Small punctate calcifications are visible bilaterally in the basal ganglia. No focal lesions are identified. Ventricular structures are midline and normally shaped. Cisternal spaces at the base and sulci on the cerebral convexity are appropriate for her age. As an incidental finding in the bony structures, altered bone structure is noted in the form of degenerative changes in the area of the right anterior arch of the atlas and the right condyle, with more pronounced subchondral pseudocystic rarefaction—clinical picture?, history?..."
Regarding the FBI, it notes, among other things, that the "results are within normal limits".
My mom has been complaining about headaches for quite a while now, which was actually the reason she went in for these tests in the first place. She is 66 years old.
How certain is it that my mother has cancer? And what else could these findings be pointing toward...?