Iatrogenic artifacts on whole-body F-18 FDG PET imaging.
OBJECTIVE
Whole-body F-18 FDG PET images frequently show artifacts related to medical and surgical interventions. We present some of the common artifact patterns in this atlas article.


METHODS
We studied whole-body F-18 FDG PET images of 30 adult patients (17 males and 13 females). Of these, 9 patients had lymphoma, 7 had colon cancer, 6 had lung cancer, 3 had lung nodules, 2 each had breast and bladder cancer, and 1 patient had brain cancer. All patients had a history of some surgical or medical intervention for malignant or some other associated disease.


RESULTS
PET images of 8 patients showed artifacts related to implanted prostheses and ports and 9 patients showed artifacts related to percutaneous insertion or opening of catheters, tubes, and stomas. Six patients had artifacts from previous surgery, 3 from previous radiation therapy, 3 from previous chemotherapy, and 1 from changes in glucose metabolism.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical and surgical interventions can give rise to artifacts on whole-body F-18 FDG PET images. The possibilities and patterns of these artifacts should be kept in mind while reporting these studies.
Bhargava
Peeyush
P
Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. drbhargava@hotmail.com
Zhuang
Hongming
H
Kumar
Rakesh
R
Charron
Martin
M
Alavi
Abass
A
D000328:Adult; D016477:Artifacts; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007440:Intubation / Q000295:instrumentation; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010030:Ostomy; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014915:Whole-Body Counting
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18