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Updated: May 25, 2026

High-Resolution Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography for Small Animals
Published on: December 16, 2022
Detection of a cardiac mass by [18F]FDG-PET/CT: a rare case
A Mallia1, Ll Travaini, G Trifiro
1Division of Nuclear Medicine, Ospedale San Paolo, Milan, Italy.
Insights
Intra-cardiac masses, including tumors and thrombi, pose a significant cardiology challenge. Fluorine-18-PET/CT shows promise for improved detection and evaluation of these cardiac masses.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Oncology
Background:
- Intra-cardiac masses are a significant clinical problem in cardiology.
- Differential diagnoses include primary tumors (benign/malignant), metastatic cancers, and infected mural thrombi.
- Common causes include myxomas, sarcomas, breast, lung, and renal cancers, with cardiac lymphoma being under-investigated.
Observation:
- Diagnostic imaging modalities for cardiac masses include echocardiography, CT, and MRI.
- Echocardiography demonstrates the highest sensitivity for cardiac mass detection.
- Malignant lymphoma involvement in the heart is increasingly recognized but often under-investigated.
Findings:
- 18-F-PET/CT is proposed as a valuable tool for intra-cardiac mass detection.
- This technique may enhance the evaluation of cardiac masses compared to conventional methods.
Implications:
- Improved diagnostic accuracy for intra-cardiac masses.
- Potential for earlier detection and more effective management of cardiac tumors and thrombi.
- Enhanced understanding of cardiac involvement in systemic diseases like lymphoma.
Abstract:
Intra-cardiac masses present an important problem in cardiology. The differential diagnoses includes tumours, which may be primary (benign or malignant) or metastatic, and infected mural thrombi.Myxomas, sarcomas, breast, lung and renal cancer represent the commonest causes of primary benign, malignant and metastatic intra-cardiac masses, respectively.Recent studies have shown that cardiac involvement in malignant lymphoma is common but under-investigated.Diagnostic imaging techniques for detection of cardiac masses include echocardiography, CT and MRI, with echocardiography having the highest sensitivity. We propose that 18-F-PET/CT may play an important role in the detection and evaluation of intra-cardiac masses.
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