Case report reveals abnormal diffuse brain uptake in a child with neuroblastoma, highlighting blood-brain barrier disruption from meningeal metastases.
123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) is extensively used for initial staging and response evaluation in children with neuroblastoma. Physiological uptake of 123I-MIBG occurs in the salivary glands, liver, adrenal gland, myocardium, bowel, and thyroid gland. 123I-MIBG cannot cross an intact blood-brain barrier. We present the rare case of a 3-year-old boy with neuroblastoma and meningeal metastases who underwent an 123I-MIBG scan for disease restaging that showed abnormal brain uptake. Abnormal MIBG uptake in the brain can occur if there is disruption of the blood-brain barrier either secondary to metastases or after damage to blood-brain barrier.
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Basavalingu et al. (2024) studied this question.
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