Rat thyroid graft transplantation after cryopreservation with scintigraphic standardization for an experimental study

PURPOSE: Budget cuts among other factors undermine the use of state-of-the-art equipment by many research groups. This doesn't mean that their scientific data are not reliable or top-notch. Resort to adaptations is a recurrent need in their reality. The aim of this study was to assess whether scintigraphy with (99m)TcO(4) is effective in evaluating the functionality of thyroid grafts after cryopreservation in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 24 rats were randomly distributed into 3 groups: Control Group (CG), without surgical procedure, Hypothyroidism Group (HTG), submitted to total thyroidectomy, and Transplanted Group (TG), with total thyroidectomy and cryopreservation of the thyroid gland for 7 days followed by grafting of a thyroid lobe. A protocol using a gamma camera imaging was conducted fourteen weeks after transplantation, and the whole body (99m)Tc, focusing on the topic of heterotopic thyroid uptake was evaluated. RESULTS: The images acquired had good quality with no noise and artifacts that could jeopardize its analysis. On the 14th day, HTG displayed no thyroid uptake, and the TG had a clear uptake of the thyroid graft in the topography of the biceps femoris muscle. Presented data also showed that both equipment spatial resolution and alignment (4.375 mm) did not interfere with the physiological uptake of (99m)Tc by the thyroid graft. CONCLUSION: The viability and functionality of cryopreserved thyroid autotransplantation in rats who underwent total thyroidectomy were successfully accessed by the scintigraphy protocol developed.