The Hematologic System ATI Related

Review The Hematologic System ATI related questions and content

You are seeing a 12-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with the sudden onset of severe abdominal pain. Imaging that was obtained to rule out appendicitis revealed a mass adjacent to the bladder. The mass was surgically resected, and pathology demonstrated a paraganglioma. Which of the studies below would be most useful to determine disease stage for this patient?

  • A. Bone Scan
  • B. Lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid cytology
  • C. Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy
  • D. Ga 68-DOTATATE PET/CT
Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: Ga 68-DOTATATE PET/CT. This imaging study is the most useful for determining the disease stage in a patient with paraganglioma. Paragangliomas are neuroendocrine tumors that express somatostatin receptors, which can be detected using Ga 68-DOTATATE PET/CT. This imaging modality helps to localize primary and metastatic lesions, as well as assess disease extent and stage.

Now let's analyze the other options:
A: Bone Scan - Not useful for determining disease stage in paraganglioma.
B: Lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid cytology - Not indicated for staging paraganglioma.
C: Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy - Not specific for staging paraganglioma.

In summary, Ga 68-DOTATATE PET/CT is the most appropriate study for determining disease stage in a patient with paraganglioma due to its