[Clinical value of FDG PET using coincident gamma cameras in staging and restaging of malignant lymphoma--compared with convenitonal diagnostic methods].
AIM of the present retrospective study was to validate the clinical value of F-18-FDG PET imaging in lymphoma patients with a dual head camera modified for coincidence detection. Staging before and after oncological treatment was compared with a conservative diagnostic approach.


METHODS
48 patients (28 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 20 Hodgkin's disease) received FDG-Hybrid-PET scans. Pretherapeutic staging was realized in 28 patients, 9 of them had control studies after they had completed therapy. Totally 29 persons were examined for post-therapeutic restaging. Computed tomography imaging and lymph node sonography was performed in all cases. Results were validated by clinical follow-up, in three cases a recidive was proven by biopsy.


RESULTS
CT and ultrasound detected 77 lesions in 28 patients compared with 100 visualized by PET, but this difference in pretherapeutic staging did not reach significance at p > 0.05 by Fisher's t-test. Hybrid-PET obtained a sensitivity of 93%, a specificity of 79%, a positive of 82% and a negative predictive value of 92% for detection of residual disease. The values for CT + US were 87%, 64%, 72% and 88% respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
FDG Hybrid-PET is as or even more accurate than standard morphologic diagnostic methods for prestaging in malignant lymphoma. Additionally, there is a substantial benefit for therapy monitoring of residual disease using coincidence detection PET with a 3/4-inch crystal gamma camera.
Pichler
R
R
Institut für Nuklearmedizin, Allgemeinen Krankenhauses Linz, Osterreich.
Maschek
W
W
Hatzl-Griesenhofer
M
M
Huber
H
H
Wimmer
G
G
Wahl
G
G
Fridrik
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012008:Recurrence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18