[Technical limits of PET/CT with 18FDG in prostate cancer]

There is increasing evidence that (18)FDG-PET is not useful for the imaging of primary prostate cancer. The aim of this examination was to prove whether or not these poor results are due to technical deficiencies of the examination method like older image reconstruction techniques, extensive (18)FDG-tracer activity in the bladder or improper contrast staining of the rectum. We examined three patients with primary prostate cancer using a modern combined PET/CT system, continuous irrigation of the bladder and an air-inflated rectal balloon catheter. PET/CT images show an exact depiction of both the prostate and all surrounding anatomic structures but no enhanced uptake of radiotracer in the tumour. Therefore, the mentioned poor results of (18)FDG-PET seem not to be due to technical deficiencies.