title: Reporting guidance for oncologic 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging.
abstract: The written report (or its electronic counterpart) is the primary mode of communication between the physician interpreting an imaging study and the referring physician. The content of this report not only influences patient management and clinical outcomes but also serves as legal documentation of services provided and can be used to justify medical necessity, billing accuracy, and regulatory compliance. Generating a high-quality PET/CT report is perhaps more challenging than generating a report for other imaging studies because of the complexity of this hybrid imaging modality. This article discusses the essential elements of a concise and complete oncologic (18)F-FDG PET/CT report and illustrates these elements through examples taken from routine clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Santa Clara, CA, USA. ryan.d.niederkohr@kp.org
authors.forename: Ryan D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Niederkohr
authors.forename: Bennett S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Greenspan
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Prior
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schöder
authors.forename: Marc A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Seltzer
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Zukotynski
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Rohren
mesh_terms: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011786:Quality Control; D012107:Research Design; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: PET/CT; oncology; reporting