title: Atypical basal ganglia germinoma presenting as cerebral hemiatrophy: diagnosis and follow-up with 11C-methionine positron emission tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Some basal ganglia germinomas are difficult to diagnose in early stage of disease due to vague initial presentation without discernable mass lesion on brain imaging. We performed this study to determine the usefulness of 11C-methionine positron emission tomography (MET PET) for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  MET PET was performed in three consecutive patients; they presented with cerebral hemiatrophy without definite mass lesions on brain image. The maximum standard tracer uptake values (max SUVs) were calculated and used for the quantitative evaluation of the abnormal MET uptake. A pathological diagnosis was made after stereotactic biopsy using MET PET/computed tomography. The max SUVs significantly decreased after treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Basal ganglia germinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with progressive hemiparesis and hemiatrophy on magnetic resonance imaging. The MET PET was useful for diagnosis, and it can be valuable in evaluation of treatment effects and monitoring for tumor recurrence.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Jeehun
authors: J
authors: Lee
authors: Bo Lyun
authors: BL
authors: Lee
authors: Keon Hee
authors: KH
authors: Yoo
authors: Ki Woong
authors: KW
authors: Sung
authors: Hong Hoe
authors: HH
authors: Koo
authors: Su Jin
authors: SJ
authors: Lee
authors: Joon Young
authors: JY
authors: Choi
authors: Kyung-Han
authors: KH
authors: Lee
authors: Jung Il
authors: JI
authors: Lee
authors: Hyung-Jin
authors: HJ
authors: Shin
authors: Ji Hye
authors: JH
authors: Kim
authors: Yeon Lim
authors: YL
authors: Suh
authors: Ke Hyang
authors: KH
authors: Lee
authors: Munhyang
authors: M
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001284:Atrophy; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018237:Germinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D008715:Methionine