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18F-FDOPA PET Imaging in Prolactinoma
Merwan Ginet1, Thomas Cuny, Emmanuelle Schmitt
1From the Departments of *Nuclear Medicine and Nancyclotep Plateform Imaging, †Endocrinology, and ‡Neuroradiology, CHRU-Nancy, Nancy; and §IADI, INSERM U947, Nancy, France.
Abstract:
Pituitary macroadenoma constitutes a frequently misdiagnosed benign tumor. We report herein a case where such macroadenoma, a prolactinoma, was incidentally discovered in a 63-year-old man who had been referred to F-FDG PET and F-FDOPA PET imaging for a pharmacoresistant epilepsy. An increased uptake was documented for both radiotracers within the sellar region, although with a much higher contrast for F-FDOPA than for F-FDG. This case presents an increased uptake documented within a prolactinoma owing to the high contrast and image quality provided by F-FDOPA PET.
Insights
Pituitary macroadenomas, like prolactinomas, are often misdiagnosed. F-FDOPA PET imaging offers high contrast for detecting these benign tumors, aiding in diagnosis when other methods fail.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Endocrinology
- Oncology
Background:
- Pituitary macroadenomas are common, frequently misdiagnosed benign tumors.
- Prolactinomas are a subtype of pituitary macroadenoma.
- Pharmacoresistant epilepsy can sometimes be linked to sellar region pathologies.
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