Growing PET positive nodule in a patient with histoplasmosis: case report.
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary histoplasmosis is a mycotic infection that often resembles pulmonary malignancy and continues to complicate the evaluation of pulmonary nodules.


METHODS
We report a case of an immunocompetent patient who, despite adequate treatment for known histoplasmosis lung infection, presented with radiological and F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) findings mimicking primary lung malignancy which eventually required surgical resection.


CONCLUSIONS
Histoplasmosis infection may radiologically resemble pulmonary malignancy, often causing a diagnostic dilemma. PET imaging is currently used for and considered accurate in the evaluation of pulmonary nodules. However, overlap in PET standardized uptake value (SUV) between granulomatous and malignant lesions decreases the accuracy of PET as a diagnostic modality. Future advances in PET imaging are needed to improve its accuracy in the evaluation of pulmonary nodules in areas where histoplasmosis is endemic.
Salhab
Khaled F
KF
Department of Surgery, Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, New York, USA. Khaled. Salhab@stonybrook.edu
Baram
Daniel
D
Bilfinger
Thomas V
TV
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006660:Histoplasmosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18