title: Usefulness of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in malignancy of pulmonary artery mimicking pulmonary embolism.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18) F-FDG PET/CT) in evaluating pulmonary artery lesions has not yet been established. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of (18) F-FDG PET/CT imaging in differentiating malignant from benign pulmonary artery (PA) lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, 18 subjects with 26 low-attenuated filling defects suspicious for PA malignancy on contrast-enhanced chest CT were enrolled; all of whom subsequently underwent (18) F-FDG PET/CT. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) for all PA lesions, defined as the (18) F-FDG uptake, was measured. The final diagnosis was then determined by pathological findings, follow-up chest CT or clinical follow-up, and compared with the PET imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 6 PA sarcomas, 5 tumour embolism, and 15 pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) occurred in this cohort. Not only was the SUVmax of the malignant PA lesions (10.2 ± 10.8) was significantly higher than that associated with PTE (1.7 ± 0.3; P < 0.001), no overlap occurred between groups. Conversely, no statistically significant difference in SUVmax occurred between PA sarcomas (12.8 ± 14.7) and tumour embolism (7.0 ± 1.32; P = 1.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (18) F-FDG PET/CT is a useful imaging modality for differentiating malignant from benign PA lesions in patients with inconclusive low-attenuation filling defects on contrast-enhanced chest CT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Jeong
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Joon Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Kyung Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Yearn Seong
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: Kyung-Han
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Byung-Tae
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012372:ROC Curve; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18