Role of Diagnostic 131 I SPECT/CT in Long-Term Follow-up of Patients with Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma.

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) usually has a favorable prognosis but can also be aggressive, with neck and distant metastases. We evaluated the diagnostic role of 131 I SPECT/CT in detecting metastases in PTMC patients during long-term follow-up and whether the procedure should be included in the current diagnostic protocol. Methods: We retrospectively studied 351 consecutive PTMC patients who had undergone thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy; 21 were at high risk, 94 at low risk, and 236 at very low risk. During follow-up, the patients underwent diagnostic 131 I whole-body scanning (WBS) followed by SPECT/CT. Results: WBS found 248 radioiodine-avid foci in 126 patients, and SPECT/CT found 298 in 139 patients, confirming all foci found on WBS. SPECT/CT also correctly classified 76 of the avid foci as unclear or wrongly classified on WBS. Globally, SPECT/CT detected and correctly classified 64 neoplastic lesions in 27 of 30 patients with metastases, and WBS evidenced 39 of 64 lesions, 28 of which were unclear or wrongly classified, in 16 of the 30 patients. Nineteen of 27 patients, including 13 at very low risk, had only neck metastases, 9 of 19 being T1aN0M0 with an undetectable thyroglobulin level. Three of 27 patients, including 1 at very low risk, had only distant metastases with an undetectable or very low thyroglobulin level. Five of 27 patients had neck and distant metastases with a thyroglobulin level <2.5 ng/mL in 1 case, between 2.5 and 10 in 3 cases, and >10 in the remaining case. SPECT/CT also reduced WBS false-positive results in 15 of 139 patients (10.8%). SPECT/CT had an incremental value over WBS in 38.1% of patients with positive findings and changed the classification and therapeutic management in 21.6%. Conclusion: Metastases occurred in 8.5% of patients during long-term follow-up. SPECT/CT performed better than WBS, particularly in patients at very low risk with inconclusive WBS results, a TNM stage of T1aN0M0, and an undetectable or very low level of thyroglobulin. Prolonged surveillance is justified in PTMC patients, and wider use of 131 I SPECT/CT in the diagnostic protocol is suggested.