title: An appraisal of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for melanoma staging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Positron emission tomography (PET scan) using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is increasingly recognized as a reliable diagnostic method to detect metastases of malignant melanoma (MM).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the diagnostic performance of 18-FDG PET scan to that of conventional imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 28 assessments were conducted in 24 patients at risk of metastatic MM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The diagnostic accuracy was over 80% and similar for PET scan and conventional imaging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both the specificity and sensitivity of PET scan are high although not perfect. Confrontation of data with anatomical location and clinicopathological findings remains mandatory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatopathology, University Medical Center Sart-Tilman, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paquet
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Belhocine
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hustinx
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Najjar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Piérard-Franchimont
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Piérard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rigo
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals