European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging
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Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging · Mar 2021
Assessment of extra-parenchymal lung involvement in asymptomatic cancer patients with COVID-19 pneumonia detected on 18F-FDG PET-CT studies.
Lung involvement in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) undergoing PET-CT has been previously reported. However, FDG uptake outside lung parenchyma was poorly characterized in detail. We evaluated the extra-parenchymal lung involvement in asymptomatic cancer patients with COVID-19 pneumonia through 18F-FDG PET-CT. ⋯ In cancer patients with asymptomatic COVID-19 pneumonia, 18F-FDG PET-CT findings are more frequently limited to thoracic structures, suggesting that an early and silent distant involvement is very rare. Pulmonary embolism is a frequent and potentially severe finding raising special concern. PET-CT can provide new pathogenic insights about this novel disease.
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Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging · Feb 2021
Thyroglobulin doubling time offers a better threshold than thyroglobulin level for selecting optimal candidates to undergo localizing [18F]FDG PET/CT in non-iodine avid differentiated thyroid carcinoma.
To investigate the potential role of serum thyroglobulin doubling time (TgDT) in predicting 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) PET/CT results in patients affected by differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) who demonstrated a combination of positive Tg but a negative [131I] whole-body scan ([131I]-WBS). ⋯ The diagnostic performance of [18F]FDG PET/CT could be significantly improved when TgDT is less than or equal to 2.5 years, as compared with using the absolute Tg level.
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Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging · Jan 2021
Case ReportsIncidental findings suggestive of COVID-19 in asymptomatic cancer patients undergoing 18F-FDG PET/CT in a low prevalence region.
To assess the rate and pattern of incidental interstitial lung abnormalities suggestive of COVID-19 on 18F-FDG PET/CT in asymptomatic cancer patients during the period of active COVID-19 circulation between March and April 2020 in a geographic area of low prevalence of the virus. ⋯ The relatively low increase in incidental findings suggestive of COVID-19 infection on 18F-FDG PET/CT in asymptomatic cancer patients was in accordance with the low COVID-19 transmission in our geographic region. Nevertheless, nuclear medicine physicians should familiarize themselves with typical and atypical 18F-FDG PET/CT patterns suggestive of COVID-19 pneumonia and initiate appropriate intervention where necessary.
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Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging · Jan 2021
COVID-19 in the act: incidental 18F-FDG PET/CT findings in asymptomatic patients and those with symptoms not primarily correlated with COVID-19 during the United Kingdom coronavirus lockdown.
The emergence of the novel SARS-CoV-2 pathogen and lethal COVID-19 disease pandemic poses major diagnostic challenges. The study aims to describe the spectrum and prevalence of thoracic and extrathoracic incidental findings in patients who have undergone 18F-FDG PET/CT during the first 3 weeks of the COVID-19 UK lockdown. ⋯ The study provides a novel base of evidence to identify asymptomatic patients and those without symptoms strongly associated with COVID-19 with incidental 18F-FDG PET/CT findings suspicious of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the initial stages of the pandemic.
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Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging · Jan 2021
Clinical TrialCOVID-19 pneumonia: relationship between inflammation assessed by whole-body FDG PET/CT and short-term clinical outcome.
[18F]-2-Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose PET/CT (FDG PET/CT) is a sensitive and quantitative technic for detecting inflammatory process. Glucose uptake is correlated with an increased anaerobic glycolysis seen in activated inflammatory cells such as monocytes, lymphocytes, and granulocytes. The aim of the study was to assess the inflammatory status at the presumed peak of the inflammatory phase in non-critically ill patients requiring admission for COVID-19. ⋯ Inflammatory process at the presumed peak of the inflammatory phase in COVID-19 patients is obvious in FDG PET/CT scans. Glucose uptake is heterogeneous and typically focused on lungs.