Asymmetry of thalamic hypometabolism on FDG‐PET/CT in neurofibromatosis type 1: Association with peripheral tumor burden

• Published in: Journal of neuroimaging 2024-01, Vol.34 (1), p.138-144
• Main Authors: Özden, Cansu, Mautner, Victor‐Felix, Farschtschi, Said, Molwitz, Isabel, Ristow, Inka, Bannas, Peter, Well, Lennart, Klutmann, Susanne, Adam, Gerhard, Apostolova, Ivayla, Buchert, Ralph
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Asymmetry; Brain; Cerebellum; FDG‐PET; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 - metabolism; Genetic disorders; Humans; Hypometabolism; Localization; Male; Mean; metabolism; Nerve Sheath Neoplasms - complications; Nerve Sheath Neoplasms - metabolism; Nerve Sheath Neoplasms - pathology; Neurofibromatosis; Neurofibromatosis 1 - complications; Neurofibromatosis 1 - diagnostic imaging; Neurofibromatosis 1 - metabolism; neurofibromatosis type 1; Neuroimaging; Neurological disorders; peripheral nerve sheath tumors; Peripheral nerves; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Positron-Emission Tomography - methods; Recklinghausen's disease; Retrospective Studies; Sheaths; Standard deviation; Substantia grisea; Thalamus; Thalamus - diagnostic imaging; Thalamus - pathology; Tumor Burden; Tumors
• ISSN: 1051-2284; 1552-6569
• DOI: 10.1111/jon.13170

Background and Purpose Thalamic hypometabolism is a consistent finding in brain PET with F‐18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). However, the pathophysiology of this metabolic alteration is unknown. We hypothesized that it might be secondary to disturbance of peripheral input to the thalamus by NF1‐characteristic peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs). To test this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship between thalamic FDG uptake and the number, volume, and localization of PNSTs. Methods This retrospective study included 22 adult NF1 patients (41% women, 36.2 ± 13.0 years) referred to whole‐body FDG‐PET/contrast‐enhanced CT for suspected malignant transformation of PNSTs and 22 sex‐ and age‐matched controls. Brain FDG uptake was scaled voxelwise to the individual median uptake in cerebellar gray matter. Bilateral mean and left‐right asymmetry of thalamic FDG uptake were determined using a left‐right symmetric anatomical thalamus mask. PNSTs were manually segmented in contrast‐enhanced CT. Results Thalamic FDG uptake was reduced in NF1 patients by 2.0 standard deviations (p