title: 18F-FDG PET versus CT for evaluating the spleen during initial staging of lymphoma.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare (18)F-FDG PET to CT for evaluating the spleen during the initial staging of lymphoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven patients with newly diagnosed lymphoma underwent (18)F-FDG PET and CT. Splenic uptake of (18)F-FDG, diffuse or focal, greater than hepatic uptake was interpreted as consistent with tumor. CT demonstrating a positive splenic index or focal hypodensities was classified as positive for tumor. PET and CT results were compared with final diagnoses, which were confirmed surgically for 6 patients and at autopsy for 1 patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five of 7 patients had lymphomatous involvement of the spleen. (18)F-FDG PET was true-positive for all 5 patients with splenic disease and true-negative for both patients without splenic disease. CT, in contrast, was true-positive for 4 of the 5 patients with splenic disease and false-positive for the 2 patients without splenic disease. The accuracies of (18)F-FDG PET and CT for evaluating the spleen were 100% and 57%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (18)F-FDG PET correctly identified all patients with and without splenic disease and was superior to CT for this purpose.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York 11040, USA.
authors.forename: Josephine N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Rini
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Leonidas
authors.forename: Maria B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Tomas
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Palestro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013160:Splenic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18