Technetium-99m sestamibi uptake in a maxilla brown tumor

Brown tumors have been reported to take up TI-201 when dual-tracer parathyroid scintigraphy using TI-201 and Tc-99m pertechnetate was performed. With the change to the more favorable Tc-99m sestamibi para-thyroid scanning, similar phenomena of tracer uptake in brown tumors have been reported. The authors describe a 44-year-old man with a left maxillary swelling. Laboratory investigations revealed elevated parathyroid hormone levels. Computed tomography of the head showed a left maxillary expansile mass. Subsequently, a Tc-99m sestamibi scan was performed to rule out a parathyroid adenoma. Left inferior parathyroid retention of the tracer was seen, indicating a parathyroid adenoma. An incidental finding was the uptake of Tc-99m MIBI in the left maxillary brown tumor. This case suggests the utility and possible specificity of Tc-99m MIBI uptake in diagnosing brown tumors.