Unsuspected Pericardial Effusion Detected by Parathyroid Scintigraphy With Tc-99m MIBI

Two-phase parathyroid scintigraphy with Tc-99m MIBI was carried out in a 36-year-old man who had secondary hyperparathyroidism. No pathologic parathyroid tissue was detected, but an unsuspected pericardial effusion was demonstrated. Based on this finding, chest radiography and cardiac ultrasonography were performed confirming the diagnosis of perlcardlal effusion. Unllke previous reports on the diagnosis of pericardial effusion by scintigraphic studies, this may be the first time that it has been detected by Tc-99m MIBI scintigraphy done in the context of parathyroid pathology for the detection of parathyroid tissue.