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Letter 2007; 28(3): 250-251 PubMed PMID: 17627256 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Brain Stem Neoplasms:diagnostic imaging, Female, Glioma:diagnostic imaging, Humans, Indium Radioisotopes, Receptors, Somatostatin:analysis, Somatostatin:analogs & derivatives, Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon,.   

: In diffuse brainstem gliomas often surgical biopsies cannot be obtained. The diagnosis relies upon imaging criteria, first line being MRI. Gliomas generally express somatostatin receptors (SSTR), which might enable receptor imaging. We present the case of a female adolescent with acute onset of hallucinations, dysphagia and diplopia. MRI detected a suggestive large pontine glioma. This lesion presented with marked In-111-pentreotide tracer uptake. SSTR-scan provided information about SSTR-expression, tumour viability and extension. Radiopeptide therapy for selected patients might be discussed....

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Clinical Trial 2002; 23(5-6): 440-441 PubMed PMID: 12500167 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Brain:diagnostic imaging, Female, Graves Disease:metabolism, Humans, Ligands, Male, Middle Aged, Receptors, Somatostatin:biosynthesis, Sample Size, Sex Factors, Somatostatin:analogs & derivatives, Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon,.   

: Animal experiments and observations in human brains have convincingly shown that sexual differentiation not only concerns the genitalia but also the brain. This has been investigated also in the light of a possible explanation of a presumed biological aetiology of transsexuality. The volume of the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, a brain area that is essential for sexual behaviour, has been reported to be larger in men than in women. Additionally, the number of somatostatin expressing neurons in this region was shown to be higher in men than in women. As neuronal production of somatostatin is involved the idea is striking whether somatostatin-receptor density in the cortex of cerebral hemispheres might be related to gender identity. We investigated in vivo the density of somatostatin-receptors in selected regions of the human brain in both sexes by means of receptor scintigraphy. Basal ganglia tracer uptake of 111-In-Pentreotide was equally low in both genders at 0,80% +/ 0,26 (related to tracer uptake of the whole brain layer). Temporal cortex accumulated at 2,9% +/ 1,1 in men and at 2,3% +/ 0,76 in women. Frontal brain region had an uptake of 3,0% +/ 1,4 in male and of 2,5% +/ 1,3 in female. This shows a tendency in males for relatively augmented uptake indicating higher somatostatin receptor density in temporal and frontal cerebral cortex....

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