Thorax: normal and benign pathologic patterns in FDG-PET/CT imaging
Jason W Wachsmann1, Victor H Gerbaudo2
1Joint Program in Nuclear Medicine, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Abstract:
This article describes the normal patterns of thoracic (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) biodistribution, and expands on the role of FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) for the evaluation of patients suffering from a spectrum of benign pathologic conditions that affect the chest. The discussion addresses the applications of FDG-PET/CT imaging in a wide variety of chest-related disorders. Familiarity with the normal thoracic biodistribution of FDG, coupled with knowledge of the potential nonmalignant causes of increased FDG uptake in the chest, is essential to minimize the incidence of incorrect interpretation of FDG-PET images in daily clinical practice.
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