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PET-CT of the normal spinal cord in children

M Beth McCarville1, Nicholas Monu, Matthew P Smeltzer

  • 1Department of Radiological Sciences, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. beth.mccarville@stjude.org

Academic Radiology
|May 12, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Child spinal cord metabolic activity, measured by fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography-computed tomography, increases with age. This finding is significant for pediatric neuroimaging interpretation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric neuroimaging
  • Metabolic activity assessment
  • Spinal cord physiology

Background:

  • Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is crucial for evaluating metabolic activity.
  • Understanding normal pediatric spinal cord metabolic patterns is essential for accurate diagnosis.
  • Age-related changes in pediatric spinal cord metabolism are not well-characterized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between age and spinal cord metabolic activity in children.
  • To utilize PET-CT to quantify metabolic activity in various spinal cord segments.
  • To establish normative data for pediatric spinal cord metabolism.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 128 children without spinal disease underwent PET-CT.
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the pons and spinal cord levels was graded subjectively and quantitatively (SUVmax).
  • Children were stratified into four age groups, and metabolic activity was compared across levels and age groups.

Main Results:

  • Spinal cord metabolic activity (both subjective grade and SUVmax) was higher in the pons, midcervical, and low thoracic regions across all age groups.
  • A significant positive correlation was observed between increasing age and metabolic activity in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord.
  • Standardized uptake values (SUVmax) in the pons and all spinal cord levels demonstrated a significant increase with advancing age.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric spinal cord metabolic activity, as assessed by FDG PET-CT, significantly increases with age.
  • The midcervical and low thoracic spinal cord segments show higher metabolic activity, which intensifies with age.
  • These findings provide crucial insights into normal age-related metabolic changes in the pediatric spinal cord.
Abstract

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