Clinical nuclear medicine
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Dec 2020
Images of COVID-19 Infection Cases in Asymptomatic or Paucisymptomatic Patients With Neoplastic Diseases on 18F-FDG PET/CT.
We describe the results of F-FDG PET/CT of 3 patients referred to our institution during the single day of Monday, March 23, 2020, for an initial assessment of cancer extension or for the therapeutic evaluation of chemotherapy of neoplastic pathology, with no obvious infectious or respiratory symptoms at the time of examination. A retrospective review of the recent clinical history of patients in association with the typical pulmonary images on CT scan suggested the diagnosis of COVID-19. The characteristic aspects of COVID-19 infection should be recognized on F-FDG PET/CT, even if patients are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Nov 2020
Reorganization of a Nuclear Medicine Department in Northern Italy During a 2-Month Lockdown for COVID-19 Pandemic.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has profoundly changed the organization of hospital activities. We present our experience of reorganization of a nuclear medicine service settled in Northern Italy during the pandemic period of March and April 2020 characterized a government-mandated lockdown. ⋯ All staff remained COVID-19-negative despite the unintentional admission of 4 patients who later turned out to be positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. These adopted measures would serve as the basis for safe nuclear medicine services in the post-lockdown phase.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Aug 2020
Case ReportsAtypical Presentation of COVID-19 Incidentally Detected at 18F-FDG PET/CT in an Asymptomatic Oncological Patient.
The incidence of COVID-19, a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-2, is rapidly growing worldwide. In this pandemic period, the chance of incidental pulmonary findings suggestive of COVID-19 at F-FDG PET/CT in asymptomatic oncological patients is not negligible. ⋯ We describe the incidental PET/CT detection of an F-FDG-avid isolated centrilobular pulmonary consolidation in an asymptomatic lymphoma patient, which later resulted in an unexpected and atypical COVID-19 presentation. The nuclear medicine physicians should be prepared to suspect COVID-19 even in asymptomatic patients presenting with a "far-from-COVID-19" finding at PET/CT.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Aug 2020
Case ReportsLaboratory-Proven Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Infection on 18F-FDG PET/CT.
An 87-year-old man with primary salivary duct carcinoma and hepatic metastases was referred for restaging. F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated new FDG-avid ground-glass opacities with intralobular septal thickening in both lungs with a peripheral dominant distribution. ⋯ However, the patient tested positive for COVID-19 using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. This case demonstrates that even asymptomatic outpatients undergoing PET/CT should be evaluated for radiologic findings suggestive of COVID-19 during this pandemic.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Aug 2020
Case ReportsIncidental Finding of COVID-19 Lung Infection in 18F-FDG PET/CT: What Should We Do?
We report the case of an asymptomatic (no fever, no cough, no dyspnea) 80-year-old woman who had an F-FDG PET/CT scan for initial staging of Lieberkühnian adenocarcinoma located on anal canal. Chest analysis incidentally revealed bilateral diffuse patchy ground-glass opacity with mild increasing F-FDG uptake, consistent with incidental COVID-19 infection finding during the March 2020 pandemic. The infection was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. It led us to improve patient flow and to undertake broader measures to avoid patient clinical issues and potential disease spreading.