Carbon-11-methionine PET evaluation of intracerebral hematoma: distinguishing neoplastic from non-neoplastic hematoma.
We evaluated whether PET with L-methyl-11C-methionine (11C-methionine) was clinically useful in distinguishing neoplastic from non-neoplastic intracerebral hematoma.


METHODS
We examined eight patients with neoplastic (n = 4) or non-neoplastic (n = 4) intracerebral hematomas between 5 and 68 days after the bleeding episode using PET with 11C-methionine (Met-PET).


RESULTS
Carbon-11-methionine accumulated in the area surrounding the hematoma in both groups, except in one patient with an acute hypertensive hematoma. Between 22 and 45 days after the ictus, non-neoplastic hematomas showed increased 11C-methionine accumulation largely in accordance with the contrast-enhanced areas on CT or MR images; whereas between 14 and 68 days after bleeding, neoplastic hematomas showed increased 11C-methionine accumulation that extended beyond the contrast-enhanced areas on CT or MR images. The intensity of 11C-methionine accumulation in tumor tissue was greater than that in non-neoplastic hematomas.


CONCLUSIONS
Preliminary results suggest that Met-PET can distinguish neoplastic from non-neoplastic hematomas on the basis of differences in lesion extent compared with CT or MR findings.
Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Research Institute of Brain and Blood Vessels, Akita, Japan.
T
T
Ogawa
J
J
Hatazawa
A
A
Inugami
M
M
Murakami
H
H
Fujita
E
E
Shimosegawa
K
K
Noguchi
T
T
Okudera
I
I
Kanno
K
K
Uemura
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006406:Hematoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D008715:Methionine