Imaging carotid body chemodectomas with ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the role of 68-gallium-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid-1-Nal3-octreotide ((68)Ga-DOTA-NOC) positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT) in carotid body chemodectomas (CBCs).

5 patients with known CBCs (conventional imaging and angiography) were evaluated retrospectively (3 males, 2 females; mean age 36.6 years). All underwent PET-CT after injection of 148 MBq (4 mCi) of (68)Ga-DOTA-NOC.

At baseline there were four bilateral CBCs and one unilateral CBC with an additional glomus tympanicum and bilateral glomus jugulare tumour in these five patients. All these lesions showed intense uptake on (68)Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT. Apart from these known lesions, additional tumours were detected in three patients; glomus jugulare in one, aortic body tumour and multiple abdominal paragangliomas in another and unsuspected vertebral metastasis in the last. Overall it led to a change in management in 3 of the 5 patients (60%).

(68)Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT is a promising non-invasive imaging modality in the detection and characterisation of CBCs.