The Clinical Usefulness of F-18 FDG Coincidence PET Without Attenuation Correction and Without Whole-Body Scanning Mode in Pulmonary Lesions: Comparison With CT, MRI, and Clinical Findings

• Published in: Clinical nuclear medicine 1999-12, Vol.24 (12), p.945-945
• Main Authors: KIM, SUZY, PARK, CHAN H, HAN, MYUNGHO, HWANG, SUNGCHUL, LEE, CHEOLJOO, PAI, MOONSUN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy, Needle; False Positive Reactions; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Gamma Cameras; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Lung Neoplasms - diagnosis; Lung Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Pneumology; Prospective Studies; Radionuclide investigations; Radiopharmaceuticals; Respiratory system; Respiratory system : syndromes and miscellaneous diseases; Sensitivity and Specificity; Spinal Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Spinal Neoplasms - secondary; Tomography, Emission-Computed; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 0363-9762; 1536-0229
• DOI: 10.1097/00003072-199912000-00008

PURPOSEThis study was undertaken to assess the clinical usefulness of fluorine-18 flurodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) coincidence detection (CoDe) positron emission tomography (PET) of various lung lesions by comparing it with CT, MRI, and clinical findings. MATERIALS AND METHODSForty-two patients with pulmonary lesions underwent CoDe PET using a dual-head gamma camera equipped with a 5/8-inch thick NaI (Tl) crystals. The patients were prepared for the study by overnight fasting. Data was acquired at approximately 1 hour after the intravenous injection of 111 to 370 MBq (3 to 10 mCi) of F-18 FDG. A spinal scan of the thorax was performed using a slip ring gantry for 30 minutes. After rebinning, routine tomographic slices were reconstructed without attenuation correction and the images were analyzed visually. RESULTSPathologic diagnoses and staging were obtained at surgery in nine patients; in the remaining 33 patients, aspiration cytology was available. CoDe PET detected all 35 pathologically proved malignant lesions. In nine patients who underwent surgery, seven CoDe PET studies corresponded with pathologic staging, whereas in six of the nine patients, CT and MRI corresponded with the pathologic findings. Seven patients also had benign lesions that showed FDG uptake. CONCLUSIONSF-18 FDG CoDe PET was sensitive in the evaluation of lung lesions but was not specific for malignancy. F-18 FDG CoDe PET was more sensitive than CT and MRI in nodal staging in the limited number of patients studied thus far.