title: Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography pattern of pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) uptake in pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis identified on computed tomography (CT) in patients with lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective analysis of F-FDG PET images in 7 patients (4 male and 3 female, mean age: 56.6 +/- 6.6 years) with lung cancer with a CT-based diagnosis of lymphangitic carcinomatosis. The F-FDG PET scans in a group of 7 patients (4 male and 3 female, mean age: 42.1 +/- 5.66 years) with normal chest CT scans served as a control group. Mean standardized uptake values (SUVs) were calculated based on average tumor uptake, initial injected activity, and body weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intensity of F-FDG uptake in diseased lung is significantly greater than in corresponding normal contralateral lung or in the lungs of normal controls (P = 0.003). The ratio of the SUV of lung with lymphangitic carcinomatosis to corresponding contralateral normal lung was significantly increased (P = 0.006), and the ratio of the SUV of mediastinal blood pool to lung with lymphangitic carcinomatosis was significantly decreased (P = 0.0002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is diffuse increased FDG uptake in the lung corresponding to the CT pattern of lymphangitic carcinomatosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. sdigumarthy@partners.org
authors.forename: Subba R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Digumarthy
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fischman
authors.forename: Boon Han
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kwek
authors.forename: Suzanne L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Aquino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography