Normal uptake of F-18 FDG in the testis as assessed by PET/CT in a pediatric study population.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation between the F-18 FDG uptake in the normal testis as assessed by PET-CT and patient age in a pediatric study population.


METHODS
The study population consisted of 22 subjects aged between 9 and 17 years. For these subjects 42 PET-CT scans were available for analysis. The testis was identified on the CT images. Mean standard uptake values and testicular volume were calculated based on manually drawn regions-of-interest over the organ. The correlation between mean SUV and age as well as between testicular volume and age was calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficient.


RESULTS
A strong and statistically significant positive correlation between F-18 FDG uptake in the testis and age was documented. The correlation coefficient was 0.406 in the analysis based on 42 PET-CT studies (p = 0.005). The correlation between tracer uptake and age was reassessed based on 22 PET-CT studies including the last recorded PET-CT scan per patient. The correlation coefficient was 0.409 (p = 0.05). In addition, based on 22 PET-CT scans, a strong and statistically significant positive correlation between testicular volume and age was documented (r = 0.67, p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Whereas it was previously shown that in adult men there was a weak but statistically significant negative correlation between F-18 FDG uptake in the normal testis and age, we found a strong and statistically significant positive correlation in children and teenage boys.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Polikliniek 7, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. ingeborg.goethals@ugent.be
Ingeborg
I
Goethals
Ciel
C
De Vriendt
Pieter
P
Hoste
Peter
P
Smeets
Hamphrey
H
Ham
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013737:Testis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18