Radiation therapy-related ataxia associated with FDG-PET cerebellar hypometabolism.
Brain FDG-PET after radiation therapy is classically used to differentiate between tumor recurrence and radiation-related tumor necrosis. Little is known about FDG-PET in patients with radiation-induced leukoencephalopathy without radiological aspect of necrosis. We present a 69-year-old woman who had preventive whole brain radiation after a diagnosis of paraneoplastic Lambert-Eaton syndrome related to small cell lung cancer Five months after radiation therapy, she developed radiation-induced leukoencephalopathy manifested by ataxia. Profound cerebellar hypometabolism on FDG-PET was in contrast with the presence of only discrete cerebellar white matter changes on MRI. FDG-PET abnormalities seem to correlate better with clinical signs related to radiation-associated brain toxicity than MRI.
Department of Neurology, CHU Nimes, Hôpital Caremeau, Nîmes Cedex 4, France. dimitrirenard@hotmail.com
Dimitri
D
Renard
Laurent
L
Collombier
Giovanni
G
Castelnovo
Genevieve
G
Fourcade
Charles
C
Debrigode
Pierre
P
Labauge
D001259:Ataxia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D015624:Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014463:Ultrasonography
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18