title: Incidental detection and monitoring of spontaneous recovery of sarcoidosis via fluorine-18-fluoroethyl-choline positron emission tomography/computed tomography.
abstract: We report a case of sarcoidosis detected incidentally by using fluorine-18-fluoroethylcholine- positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FECH-PET/CT) in a 72 years old patient with prostate cancer, who had been referred for restaging after relapse indicated prostate specific antigen (PSA). The ¹⁸F-FECH-PET/CT examination showed a focal increased uptake in the prostate bed suggestive for local recurrence, in addition to multifocal uptake in the mediastinum matching with enlarged hilar and paratracheal lymph nodes. Histopathology revealed sarcoidosis. No treatment was recommended. Two years later the patient was referred again to us because of another recurrent PSA elevation. The second ¹⁸F-FECH-PET/CT showed again the previously described local recurrence, but did not show the previously described mediastinal findings nor the enlarged hilar and paratracheal lymph nodes, thus, illustrating spontaneous healing of sarcoidosis. In conclusion, this case suggests that ¹⁸F-FECH PET/CT study can show positive findings in sarcoidosis that were no longer detectable after two years, suggestive of spontaneous recovery.
authors.affiliation: Medical PET Group-Biological Imaging, Clinical Cooperation Unit Nuclear Medicine, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany. m.takesh@dkfzheidelberg.de
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takesh
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Haberkorn
authors.forename: Ludwig G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.forename: Safwan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roumia
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013382:Subtraction Technique; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C448902:fluoroethylcholine; D002794:Choline