BACKGROUND: Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is a useful diagnostic tool to detect metastases in patients with malignancy. False positives have been reported in cases of inflammation and tissue regeneration. CASE REPORT: Over a period of 2 years, a 32-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma and multiple bone metastases received three treatments of radiation therapy to a bone metastasis in the 5th left rib. Restaging with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-CT showed increased uptake within the cardiac apex highly suspicious for a myocardial metastasis. Because the patient was asymptomatic, additional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart was performed demonstrating radiation-associated changes but no evidence for metastases. CONCLUSION: PET-CT is a well-established diagnostic tool in metastatic diseases but its results should always be correlated with the clinical picture of the patient and previous treatments to rule out false positives.
BACKGROUND: Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is a useful diagnostic tool to detect metastases in patients with malignancy. False positives have been reported in cases of inflammation and tissue regeneration. CASE REPORT: Over a period of 2 years, a 32-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma and multiple bone metastases received three treatments of radiation therapy to a bone metastasis in the 5th left rib. Restaging with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-CT showed increased uptake within the cardiac apex highly suspicious for a myocardial metastasis. Because the patient was asymptomatic, additional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart was performed demonstrating radiation-associated changes but no evidence for metastases. CONCLUSION: PET-CT is a well-established diagnostic tool in metastatic diseases but its results should always be correlated with the clinical picture of the patient and previous treatments to rule out false positives.
Authors: Edwin Bölke; Gisela Schieren; Stephan Gripp; Gerald Steinbach; Matthias Peiper; Klaus Orth; Christiane Matuschek; Maximilian Pelzer; Guido Lammering; Ruud Houben; Christina Antke; Lars Christian Rump; Rodrigo Mota; Peter Arne Gerber; Patrick Schuler; Thomas K Hoffmann; Ethelyn Rusnak; Derik Hermsen; Wilfried Budach Journal: Strahlenther Onkol Date: 2011-02-24 Impact factor: 3.621
Authors: M Quentin; P Kröpil; S Steiner; R S Lanzman; D Blondin; F Miese; G Choy; S Abbara; A Scherer Journal: Radiologe Date: 2011-01 Impact factor: 0.635
Authors: Mylene T Truong; Jeremy J Erasmus; Reginald F Munden; Edith M Marom; Bradley S Sabloff; Gregory W Gladish; Donald A Podoloff; Homer A Macapinlac Journal: AJR Am J Roentgenol Date: 2004-10 Impact factor: 3.959