Comparison of the detecting capability between 123I-mIBG and post-therapeutic 131I-mIBG scintigraphy for curie scoring in patients with neuroblastoma after chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the detecting capability between planar imaging (PI) and PI combined with single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (PICWS), including 123I- and 131I-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) and to compare the detecting capability between 123I-mIBG and post-therapeutic 131I-mIBG scintigraphy including PI and PICWS for Curie scoring in patients with neuroblastoma. METHODS Sixty-two patients with 66 pairs of complete images with neuroblastoma were enrolled in this retrospective study. RESULTS Comparing the Curie scoring between 123I-mIBG PI and PICWS and between post-therapeutic 131I-mIBG PI and PICWS, findings were concordantly negative in 28.79% and 18.18% of studies, concordantly positive in 66.67% and 74.24% of studies, and discordant in 4.54% and 7.58% of studies, respectively. PICWS was superior to PI including 123I- and 131I-mIBG in the evaluation of Curie scoring for neuroblastoma patients (both P < 0.001). Comparing the Curie scores between 123I- and post-therapeutic 131I-mIBG PI and between 123I- and post-therapeutic 131I-mIBG PICWS, concordantly negative imaging was visualized in 22.73% and 19.70% of studies, concordantly positive imaging in 66.67% and 69.70% of studies, and discordant imaging in 10.60% and 10.60% of studies, respectively. Post-therapeutic 131I-mIBG was significantly better than that of 123I-mIBG scintigraphy including PI and PICWS in detecting the Curie scoring for neuroblastoma patients (both P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The present study demonstrates that 131I- or 123I-mIBG PICWS are more helpful in the evaluation of Curie scores than that of conventional PI and that post-therapeutic 131I-mIBG is superior to 123I-mIBG scintigraphy for the detecting capability of Curie scoring in patients with neuroblastoma.