title: Integrated PET-CT for the characterization of adrenal gland lesions in cancer patients: diagnostic efficacy and interpretation pitfalls.
abstract: Integrated fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) for adrenal gland imaging in cancer patients allows early detection and accurate localization of adrenal lesions and differentiation of metastatic nodules from benign lesions, thereby facilitating treatment planning. However, false-positive findings are encountered at integrated PET-CT in approximately 5% of adrenal lesions identified as positive at PET, including adrenal adenomas, adrenal endothelial cysts, and inflammatory and infectious lesions. Moreover, false-negative findings may be seen in adrenal metastatic lesions with hemorrhage or necrosis, small-sized (<10-mm) metastatic nodules, and metastases from pulmonary bronchioloalveolar carcinoma or carcinoid tumors. An awareness of the potential pitfalls of integrated PET-CT enhances the diagnostic efficacy of this modality by allowing differentiation of metastatic adrenal lesions from other abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Chung-Ang University Medicial Center, College of Medicine, 224-1, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak, Seoul, 156-755, South Korea [corrected]
authors.forename: Semin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Kyung Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ha Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yoon Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Tae
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Myung Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Chin A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Ghee Young
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D013382:Subtraction Technique; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*