• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2008

Background: The melanoma antigen-encoding (MAGE) genes are known to be expressed in various cancer cells, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and are silent in all normal tissues except for the testis. In patients with peripheral NSCLC, bronchial washing fluid can be used to detect the MAGE genes, suggesting a diagnosis of lung cancer. In order to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the MAGE test in patients with peripheral NSCLC, bronchial washing fluid was investigated in patients with peripheral pulmonary nodules, which were invisible as detected by bronchoscopy. Methods: Bronchial washing fluid from 37 patients was used for cytological examinations and MAGE gene detection, using RT-nested-PCR of common A1-A6 mRNA. Results were compared to a final diagnosis of patients as confirmed by pathology. Results: Among the 37 subjects, NSCLC was diagnosed in 21 patients, and benign pulmonary diseases were diagnosed in 16 patients. MAGE mRNA was detected in 10 of 21 (47.6%) NSCLC patients, while conventional cytology examinations were positive for MAGE expression in 2 of 21 (9.5%) cases. MAGE expression was observed in 4 of 16 (25%) benign pulmonary disease patients. Conclusion: The MAGE test of bronchial washing fluid can be used as a sensitive predictor of peripheral NSCLC patients.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.150-154
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• 2010

Purpose: Ejection fraction (EF) is one of the most important factors that evaluate heart function. Recently, according to echocardiography and myocardial perfusion SPECT, the number of gated blood pool scan (planar GBP) is declining. Measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction using gated blood pool SPECT (GBPS) is known as relatively correspond with echocardiography. We compared EF derived from plnar GBP, GBPS and echocadiography using modified simpson method to determine the accuracy. Materials and Methods: From January 2007 to June 2010, planar GBP and GBPS were performed on 34 patients who admitted to Pusan National University Hospital (men 23, women 11, mean age $52.6{\pm}27.2$). Each patient was injected with $^{99m}{TcO_4}^-$ of 20 mCi after pyrophosphate injection and then scanned using both planar GBP and GBPS techniques. For image analysis, we use ADAC Laboratories, Ver. 4.20 software. The result analyzed was processed by SPSS 17.0 Win statistic program and statistical method applied in data analysis is one-way anova, Tukey's post hoc test, pearson correlation test. Results: One-way anova test show no significant difference (planar GBP $56.3{\pm}13.9%$; GBPS $60.4{\pm}16.0%$; echocardiography $59.1{\pm}14.4%$, p=0.486, p>0.05). Tukey's post hoc test show no significant difference (planar GBP-echocardiography p=0.697; GBPS-echocardiography p=0.928; planar GBP-GBPS p=0.469, p>0.05). Values for EF obtained with planar GBP and GBPS correlated well with those obtained with echocardiography (planar-echocardiography r=0.697; GBPS-echocardiography r=0.928; planar GBP-GBPS r=0.469). Conclusion: The problems of accuracy and reproducibility for planar GBP still remain. But planar GBP is a safe and non-invasive method. In addition, planar GBP is useful to evaluate patient with low resolution echocardiography images. GBPS is not appicated clinically. but GBPS can be obtain various left ventricular functional parameters. planar GBP, GBPS and echocardiography show a good correlation between each other. Therefore, planar GBP and GBPS are useful for evaluating left ventricular ejection fraction.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2010

Purpose: Despite the rapidly changing healthcare environment, healthcare organizations have recognized the importance of patient safety management. But patient safety management has the problem of the lack of participation of members due to the process of focusing on the follow-up service and punishment. The department of nuclear medicine in Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital started this research to reduce the near miss and prevent patient safety accidents by both initiating the participatory near-miss-proof activities as an advance management and constructing a system without disadvantages of reporting. In addition, this research aims to establish a differentiated patient safety management system in the department of nuclear medicine. Materials and Methods: 1. Colleting cases of team members' past and present near miss and accidents(First data collection). 2. Quantifying the cases of near miss and accidents after identifying the degree of importance and urgency through surveys(Second data collection). 3. Quantifying cases and indentifying important points of contact through data analysis. 4. Making and standardizing a manual for important points of contact, and initiating participatory activities to prevent errors. 5. Activating web-based community for establishing the report system of near miss. 6. Estimating the result of before and after activities through surveys and focus group interviews. Results: 1) Quantified safety accidents and near miss in the department of nuclear medicine. About 50 near misses a month and one safety accident a year. 2) Establishing improvement measurements based on quantified data. About 11 participatory activities, the improvement of process, a manual for standardization. 3) Creating a system of safety culture and high participation rate of team members. Constructing a report system, making a check list and a slogan for safety culture, and establishing assessment index. 4) Activating communities for sharing the information of cases of near misses and accidents. 5) As the result of activities, the rate of near miss occurrence declined by 50% and the safety accident did not happen. Conclusion: The best service in the department of nuclear medicine is to provide patients with safety-guaranteed high-quality examination and cure. This research started from the question, 'what is the most faithful-to-the-basics way to provide the best service for patients?' and team members' common answer for this question was building a system with participation of all members. Building a system through the participatory improvement activities for preventing near miss and creating safety culture resulted in the 50% decline of near miss occurrence and no accident. This is a meaningful result from the perspective of advance management for patient safety. Moreover, this research paved the way for creating a culture to report and admit near miss or accidents by establishing a report system with no disadvantage of reporting. The system which sticks to the basics is the best service for patients and will form a patient safety culture system, which will lead to the customer satisfaction. Therefore, all members of the department of nuclear medicine will develop a differentiated patient safety culture with stabilizing the established system.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.288-300
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• 2003

Purpose: To obtain regional blood flow and tissue-blood partition coefficient with time-activity curves from ${H_2}^{15}O$ PET, fitting of some parameters in the Kety model is conventionally accomplished by nonlinear least squares (NLS) analysis. However, NLS requires considerable compuation time then is impractical for pixel-by-pixel analysis to generate parametric images of these parameters. In this study, we investigated several fast parameter estimation methods for the parametric image generation and compared their statistical reliability and computational efficiency. Materials and Methods: These methods included linear least squres (LLS), linear weighted least squares (LWLS), linear generalized least squares (GLS), linear generalized weighted least squares (GWLS), weighted Integration (WI), and model-based clustering method (CAKS). ${H_2}^{15}O$ dynamic brain PET with Poisson noise component was simulated using numerical Zubal brain phantom. Error and bias in the estimation of rCBF and partition coefficient, and computation time in various noise environments was estimated and compared. In audition, parametric images from ${H_2}^{15}O$ dynamic brain PET data peformed on 16 healthy volunteers under various physiological conditions was compared to examine the utility of these methods for real human data. Results: These fast algorithms produced parametric images with similar image qualify and statistical reliability. When CAKS and LLS methods were used combinedly, computation time was significantly reduced and less than 30 seconds for $128{\times}128{\times}46$ images on Pentium III processor. Conclusion: Parametric images of rCBF and partition coefficient with good statistical properties can be generated with short computation time which is acceptable in clinical situation.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1970

철대사(鐵代謝)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究)는 과거(過去) 30년(年)동안 새로운 검사방법(檢査方法)의 도입(導入)으로 눈부신 발전(發展)을이룩하였다. 1937년(年) Heilmeyer 등(等)에 의(依)하여 Ortho-phenanthrolin방법(方法)의 개발(開發)로 저색소성빈혈(低色素性貧血)의 원인(原因)이 구명(究明)되고 또한 이에 대(對)한 치료(治療)의 원칙(原則)이 세워졌다. 그 후 심(甚)한 감염(感染)이나 악성종양(惡性腫瘍)을 가진 환자(患者)者에서 관찰(觀察)되는 빈혈(貧血)에 대(對)해서 하나의 가설(假說)을 세워 이를 설명(說明)하려 하였는데 이는 곧 혈장(血漿)으로부터 철분(鐵分)이 신속(迅速)히 소실(消失)되어 망내계(網內系)나 병변(病變)이 있는 국소부위(局所部位)에 주(主)로 모여 들어 특수(特殊)한 방어기능(防禦機能)을 발휘(發揮)한다는것으로 연자(演者)는 방사성동위원소(放射性同位元素)를 이용(利用)하여 이 가설(假說)을 증명(證明)하였으며 이 연구(硏究)에는 또한 이문호교수(李文鎬敎授)가 Freiburg대학(大學) 유학중(留學中) 참여(參與)한 바 있다. 철대사(鐵代謝)를 파악(把握)하기 위(爲)해서 $^{59}Fe$가 흔히 사용(使用)되는데 이러한 방사성동위원소(放射性同位元素)를 이용(利用)함으로서 다음 사항(事項)들을 관찰(觀察)할 수 있었다. 즉(卽) 1. 소화장기(消化臟器)로 부터의 철흡수(鐵吸收) 2. 혈장(血漿)에서의 철(鐵)의 소실속도(消失速度) 3. 혈장내(血漿內)에서의 철교체율(鐵交替率) 4. 적혈구(赤血球)의 철이용(鐵利用) 5. 생체내(生體內)의 철분포(鐵分布) 6. 철배설(鐵排泄)의 정량적(定量的) 분석(分析) 또한 근년(近年)에는 특수(特殊)한 기능(機能)을 발휘(發揮)할 수 있는 동위원소(同位元素)를 이용(利用)하여 철흡수(鐵吸收) 및 대사이외(代謝以外)에도 적혈구(赤血球)의 수명(壽命)과 혈액량등(血液量等)을 측정(測定)하게 되었다. 경구적(經口的)으로 투여(投與)된 철(鐵)은 대부분(大部分) 십이지장(十二指腸)의 상부(上部)에서 흡수(吸收)되고 무기철(無機鐵)이 보다 쉽게 흡수(吸收)되어 가(價)의 상태(狀態)로 된다. 혈장(血漿)에서는 transferrin에 의(依)해서 철(鐵)이 운반(運搬)된다. 혈장철(血漿鐵)의 대부분(大部分)은 혈색소분해(血色素分解)에서 유래(由來)되며 이는 다시 혈색소(血色素)의 재생(再生)에 이용(利用)되는데 혈장내(血漿內) 철교체율(鐵交替率)은 방사성철(放射性鐵)을 이용(利用)하여 측정(測定)할수 있다 이와같이 방사성철(放射性鐵)을 이용(利用)하여 철대사과정(鐵代謝過程)을 숙지(熟知)함으르서 임상(臨床)에 응용(應用)하기에 이르렀으며 다음과 같은 질환(疾患)의 진단(診斷)에 특(特)히 큰 도움을 준다. A. 진성철결핍증(眞性鐵缺乏症) : 혁색소철(血色素鐵) 및 저장철(貯藏鐵)을 포함(包含)한 생체내(生體內) 전철분(全鐵分)의 부족(不足)된 상태(狀態)로서 실혈(朱血)에 의(依)한 것이 대부분(大部分)이다. 이 경우 철흡수(鐵吸收)는 증가(增加), 혈장철치(血漿鐵値)는 저하(低下), 철소실속도(鐵消失速度)는 증가(增加)되며 혈장철(血漿鐵) 교체율(交替率)은 항진(亢進) 혹(或)은 정상(正常)이다. B. 심(甚)한 염증성(炎症性) 질환(疾患) : 이 경우에도 혈장철치(血漿鐵値)의 저하(低下), 소실속도(消失速度)의 증가(增加), 교체율(交替率)은 정상(正常)보다 4배(倍)까지 증가(增加)할 수 있다. 골수(骨髓)에서 보다는 간(肝), 비(脾)와 같은 망내계(網內系)에 방사성철(放射性鐵)이 집결(集結)되는 것으로 보아 혈색소철(血色素鐵)보다는 저장철(貯藏鐵)이 관여(關與)되는 것이다. C. 원발성(原發性) 혈색소증(血色素症)(Idiopathic hemochromatosis) : 혈장철(血漿鐵)의 증가(增加)가 현저(顯著)하며 transferrin 농도(濃度)는 정상(正常)보다 낮으나 거의 대부분(大部分)의 철분(鐵分)으로 포화(飽和)된다. 철흡수(鐵吸收)는 증가(增加)되고 철소실속도(鐵消失速度)는 감소(減少) 되어 있으나 교체율(交替率)은 항진(亢進)되어 있다. 혈장철(血漿鐵)은 간(肝), 비(脾) 등(等)의 기관(器管)으로 저장집결(貯藏集結)되어 철저류(鐵貯溜)가 증대(增大)되므로 철이용증((鐵利用症)은 저하(低下)된다. D. 선천성(先天性) 무(無)$\ulcorner$트란스헤 린$\lrcorner$증(症)(Congenital atransferrinemia) : 방사성철(放射性鐵)을 이용(利用)한 진단방법(診斷方法)으로 Freiburg에서 7세(歲)의 소녀(少女)에서 발견(發見)한 증례(症例)인데 간(肝), 비(脾), 심(心)의 비대(肥大)가 임상적(臨床的)으로 인지(認知)되었고 중증(重症)의 철결핍상(鐵缺乏狀)을 검출(檢出)할 수 있었다. 철흡수율(鐵吸收率)의 상승(上昇), 혈장철치(血裝鐵値)의 감소(減少), 혈장철소실속도(血漿鐵消失速度)의 증가(增加), 혈장철교체율(血漿鐵交替率)의 상승(上昇) 및 적혈구(赤血球)에서의 철분이용율(鐵分利用率)의 저하(低下)를 ferrokinetic study에서 알 수 있었고 간(肝)에서 고도(高度)의 방사능(放射能)이 검출(檢出)되는 반면(反面), 비(脾)에서는 극소(極小), 골수(骨髓)에는 전(全)혀 방사능(放射能)이 들어가 있지 않았다. 이 증례(症例)와 같이 transferrin이 없으면 철분(鐵分)은 쉽게 조직(組織)으로 들어가 hemosiderin으로 저장(貯藏)되고 골수(骨髓)는 고도(高度)의 철결핍증(鐵缺乏症)을 나타내어 기관철침착증(器管鐵沈着症)과 철결핍성빈혈(鐵缺乏性貧血)이 동시(同時)에 나타나게 된다. 철대사장애면(鐵代謝障碍面)으로 보아 많은 미해결점(未解決點)이 남아 있으며 앞으로 자라나는 젊은 학도(學徒)들이 구명(究明)할 문제(間題)라고 믿는다.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.1253-1259
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• 2003

Backgroud : Seizures in the neonate are relatively common and their clinical features are different from those in children and adults. The study aimed to provide the clinical profiles of neonatal seizure in our hospital. Methods : A total of 41 newborns with seizures were enrolled in this study over a period of three years. They were evaluated with special reference to risk factors, neurologic examinations, laboratory data, neuroimaging studies, EEG findings, seizure types, response to treatment, and prognosis, etc. Results : The average age at onset of seizures was $6.1{\pm}4.6days$ and the majority of patients(42%) had multifocal clonic seizure and 24% had subtle seizure. Factors that are known to increase risk of neonatal seizures include abnormal delivery history, birth asphyxia, and electrolyte imbalance, etc. However, they remain obscure in about 20% of cases. More than 50 percent showed abnormal lesions on neuroimaging studies such as brain hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, brain infarction, cortical dysplasia, hydrocephalus, etc. and 17 out of 32 patients showed abnormal electroencephalographic patterns. Phenobarbital was tried as a first line antiepileptic drug and phenytoin was added if it failed to control seizures. The treatments were terminated in the majority of patients during the hospital stay. The overall prognosis was relatively good except for those with abnormal EEG background or congenital central nervous system malformations. Conclusion : Neonatal seizures may permanently disrupt brain development. Better understanding of their clinical profiles and appropriate management may lead to a reduction in neurological disability in later childhood.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.195-202
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• 2002

Purpose: For clinical application of beta-emitter labeled antibody, high specific activity is imporiant. Carrier-free $^{188}Re$ from $^{188}W/^{188}Re$ generator is an ideal radionuclide for this purpose. However, low stability of $^{188}Re$ labeled antibody, especially in high specific activity, due to radiolytic decomposition by high energy (2.1 MeV) beta ray was problem. We studied the stability of $^{188}Re$ labeled antibody, and stabilizing effect of several stabilizers. Materials and Methods: Pre-reduced monoclonal antibody (CEA79.4) was labeled with $^{188}Re$ by incubating with generator-eluted $^{188}Re-perrhenate$ in the presence of stannous tartrate for 2 hr at room temperature. Radiochemical purity of each preparation was determined by chromatography. Human serum albumin was added to the labeled antibodies (2%). Stability of $^{188}Re-CEA79.4$ was investigated in the presence of ascorbic acid, ethanol, of Tween 80 as stabilizing agents. Results: Labeling efficiencies were $88{\pm}4%\;(n=12)$. Specific activities of $1.25{\sim}4.77MBq/{\mu}g$ were obtained. If stored after purging with $N_2$, all the preparations were stable for 10 hr. However, stability decreased in the presence of air. Perrhenate and $^{188}Re-tartrate$ was major impurity in declined preparation. colloid-formation was not a significant problem in all cases. Addition of ascorbic acid stabilized the labeled antibodies either under $N_2$ or under air by reducing the formation of perrhenate. Conclusion: High specific activity $^{188}Re$ labeled antibody is unstable, especially, in the presence of oxygen. Addition of ascorbic acid increased the stability.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.44-48
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• 2008

Purpose: In FDG-PET/CT of breast cancer, a sensitivity was 80~96% and a specificity was 75~95% commonly. It was valuable to identify a cancer in early stage been difficult in Mammography. Most of the PET/CT scans have been examined on supine position, so, the image of breast has been acquired by reconstructed whole body scan image. However, using prone position with a compensator, a shape of breast was reassembly shown to be real by gravity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate diagnostic value of prone position in FDG PET-CT of breast cancer. Materials and Methods: 30 female patients with doubtful or positive breast cancer were examined. The PET-CT whole body scan was acquired at 60 minutes after $^{18}F$-FDG injection on Supine position. Then, regional breast spot scan was progressed on prone position using a compensator. Each image was evaluated by physicians blinded to patient's data, and statistical analysis did through SUVs measured in PET-CT images. Results: In 27 of 30 patients, prone position was shown accurate discrimination and diagnostic value, but in another 3 patients had a lesion 1cm below, PET-CT couldn't detect it, unlike MRI. Consequently, prone position distinguished a lesion better than Supine position, because of low degree of metamorphosis by gravity. The SUVs analysis of each position was significant (p value=0.004). Conclusion: In PET-CT of breast cancer, prone position could detect micrometastasis as well as primary lesion, better than supine position. Therefore, this study proposes that any technical change considered morphological feature like prone position can offer adequate and useful diagnostic information, together with complementary quantitative analysis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.24 no.2 s.88
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• pp.91-100
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• 2006

This paper examines the situation and tasks of UK rail privatization, especially focusing on after the Hatfield rail accident. Earlier research which focused on the UK's Privatization had little knowledge of the explanations for recent changes. Moreover they had difficulty making a direct comparison between national rail and the privatized rail. Therefore we aye left without a good explanation which has a comprehensive perspective. I attempt to show the change in the rail privatization Process and its outcome, focusing on after the Hatfield rail accident. This Paper argues that the UK's vail privatization process has a regulatory framework which is too complicated with overlapping responsibilities that brought about inefficiency, increasing costs and a superficial safety regime. Especially the planning of rail and infrastructure maintenance did not come to play an appropriate role. However after 2000, the government took charge of setting the strategy for railways, and the Office of Rail Regulation covered safety performance and cost. explain that these changes present a good opportunity to solve the problem of passing the buck for poor performance. Through the analysis, I find that the passenger rail network is well-suited to deliver long distance business and commuters and that the subsidy from the government is decreasing. However, performance, for example punctuality and reliability. should be improved. Especially the Hatfield rail accident caused a reduction in the satisfaction of passengers. In future. the problems of rising costs and monopoly franchise system should be addressed.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.476-483
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• 1996

Following radiation therapy for brain tumors, patients often have clinical deterioration due to either radiation necrosis or recurrent tumor progression in the treatment field. The distinction between these entities is important but difficult clinically or even with CT or MRI. T1-201 has been known to accumulate in various tumors and be useful to grade, predict prognosis or detect recurrence of glioma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of T1-201 SPECT in the differentiation of recurrent tumor from radiation necrosis. Of 67 patients who did T1-201 brain SPECT imaging with clinically suspected recurrent tumor or radiation necrosis, 20 patients underwent histopathological examination and constituted the study population. T1-201 uptake indices on T1-201 brain SPECT imaging rrere calculated and correlated with histopathological diagnosis. Of 20 patients, 15 were histopathologically confirmed as recurrent original tumor or malignant transformation of benign tumor and 5 were diagnosed as radiation necrosis. On T1-201 SPECT, 18 of 20 had T1-201 index above 2.5 which was regarded as positive indicator for the presence of tumor. Seventeen cases showed concordance, which consisted of 15 true positive and 2 true negative. Discordant 3 cases were all false positive. There was no case of false negative. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of T1-201 SPECT were 100%, 40%, 83% and 100%. In conclusion, T1-201 brain SPECT is a sensitive diagnostic test in the detection of recurrent tumor following radiation therapy and is useful in the differentiation of recurrent tumor from radiation necrosis. Relatively low specificity should be evaluated further in larger number of patients in consideration of sampling error and referral bias for pathologic examination.