Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026. Vol. 71. № 1

DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-1-49-56

S.G. Mikhaylov1, A.V. Perfiliev2, N.V. Yukhimenko1

Opportunities of Radionuclide Diagnostics
with 99mТc-MIBI in Children with Tuberculosis

1 Central Tuberculosis Research Institute, Moscow, Russia

2 M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Research and Clinical Institute, Moscow, Russia

Contact person: S.G. Mikhaylov, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Study the informativeness of radionuclide diagnostics with 99mTc-MIBI in determining the prevalence and activity of the inflammatory process in children with tuberculosis.

Material and methods: The examinations were conducted with the written consent of the patients’ parents. 28 children aged 3 to 13 years were examined. Among the subjects there were 12 boys (43.0 %), 16 girls (57.0 %). Among the clinical forms in children, the following predominated: tuberculosis of the intrathoracic lymph nodes – 11 children (39.3 %) and focal tuberculosis – 11 children (39.3 %), the Ghon focus – 3 children (10.7 %), primary tuberculosis complex – 2 children (7.1 %), tuberculosis of multiple localization – 1 child. To assess the activity of the specific process in the lungs and intrathoracic lymph nodes, a comprehensive clinical and laboratory examination was carried out taking into account the results of skin immunological tests. All children underwent chest computed tomography (CT) and 99mTc-MIBI SPECT.

Results: The use of SPECT with 99mTc-MIBI in pediatric phthisiology allows for reliable determination of the activity and prevalence of the tuberculosis process in the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes. The sensitivity of the radioisotope method with 99mTc-MIBI in detecting active inflammatory changes in the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes was 82.1 % in our study. The significance of radionuclide research with 99mTc-MIBI for choosing tactics and determining the effectiveness of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy in children was established, taking into account the degree of accumulation of the radiopharmaceutical in the pathological focus.

Keywords: 99mTc-MIBI, SPECT, children, tuberculosis

For citation: Mikhaylov SG, Perfiliev AV, Yukhimenko NV. Opportunities of Radionuclide Diagnostics with 99mТc-MIBI in Children with Tuberculosis. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026;71(1):49–56. (In Russian). DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-1-49-56

 

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Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Financing. The work was carried out as part of the research project ‟New Approaches to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Respiratory Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents” at the Central Research Institute of Tuberculosis.

Contribution. Article was prepared with equal participation of the authors.

Article received: 20.11.2025. Accepted for publication: 25.12.2025.