Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
![Visualization and Quantification of Brown and Beige Adipose Tissues in Mice using [18F]FDG Micro-PET/MR Imaging](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F62460.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
Visualization and Quantification of Brown and Beige Adipose Tissues in Mice using [18F]FDG Micro-PET/MR Imaging
Published on: July 1, 2021
Unilateral Brown Fat FDG Uptake after Childhood Sympathectomy Mimicking Malignancy Resolved by Hybrid PET/MR Image
Freimut Dankwart Eberhard Juengling1, Judith Hafer2, Alin Chirindel3
1Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Abstract:
Physiologic 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a recognized source of false-positive findings on positron emission tomography (PET) scans, typically presenting as symmetric, multifocal activity in fat-density tissue. We report a case of a 30-year-old woman with left-sided cervical swelling and unilateral, left-sided FDG uptake mimicking malignancy, but without corresponding computed tomography abnormalities. The patient's history included right-sided mediastinal ganglioneuroma resection in childhood, resulting in Horner syndrome. Hybrid PET/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with image fusion definitively localized the FDG activity to left-sided BAT, confirming the tissue origin and linking the unilaterality to sympathetic denervation from prior right stellate ganglion disruption. This case illustrates that hybrid PET/MR can resolve diagnostic uncertainty in atypical BAT presentations and highlights the importance of recognizing altered BAT metabolism after sympathetic injury to avoid misinterpretation of PET findings.
