AJR Custom publishing of AJR articles and ARRS Cat. Course
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Truong, M. T.
Right arrow Articles by Macapinlac, H. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Truong, M. T.
Right arrow Articles by Macapinlac, H. A.
Social Bookmarking
 Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Hotlight (NEW!)
Right arrow
What's Hotlight?
AJR 2004; 183:1127-1132
© American Roentgen Ray Society


Nuclear Medicine

Focal FDG Uptake in Mediastinal Brown Fat Mimicking Malignancy: A Potential Pitfall Resolved on PET/CT

Mylene T. Truong1, Jeremy J. Erasmus1, Reginald F. Munden1, Edith M. Marom1, Bradley S. Sabloff1, Gregory W. Gladish1, Donald A. Podoloff1 and Homer A. Macapinlac1

1 All authors: Division of Diagnostic Imaging, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Box 57, Houston, TX 77030.

OBJECTIVE. A potential source of false-positive FDG PET interpretations in oncologic imaging is FDG uptake in brown fat. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, location, and appearance of hypermetabolic brown fat in the mediastinum.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. All PET/CT scans obtained at our cancer institution from August to October 2003 were retrospectively reviewed for increased FDG uptake in the mediastinum localized to fat on CT. The following features were recorded: location, appearance, maximal standard uptake value (SUVmax) of hypermetabolic mediastinal brown fat, and presence of extramediastinal brown fat.

RESULTS. PET/CT scans were obtained in 845 oncologic patients. Fifteen patients (1.8%) with focal hypermetabolic mediastinal brown fat were identified: nine women and two men (age range, 27–79; mean, 55.1 years) and four children (age range, 5–16 years; mean, 10 years). Hypermetabolic mediastinal brown fat (mean SUVmax, 5.7) was more common in children (4/8) than in adults (11/837) and more common in women (9/372) than in men (2/465). Foci of hypermetabolic brown fat were localized to the paratracheal, paraesophageal, prevascular, and pericardial regions; interatrial septum; and azygoesophageal recess. Five patients had focal hypermetabolic brown fat isolated to the mediastinum. Ten patients also had extramediastinal hypermetabolic brown fat in the neck, thorax, and abdomen. There was no difference in the body weight (p = 0.876) or body mass index (p = 0.538) of patients with hypermetabolic brown fat compared with age- and sex-matched control subjects.

CONCLUSION. Hypermetabolic brown fat can be localized to the mediastinum and manifests as focal increased FDG uptake. Knowledge of this potential pitfall and precise localization with fusion PET/CT are important in preventing misinterpretation as malignancy.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
NEJMHome page
A. M. Cypess, S. Lehman, G. Williams, I. Tal, D. Rodman, A. B. Goldfine, F. C. Kuo, E. L. Palmer, Y.-H. Tseng, A. Doria, et al.
Identification and Importance of Brown Adipose Tissue in Adult Humans
N. Engl. J. Med., April 9, 2009; 360(15): 1509 - 1517.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Genes Dev.Home page
S. R. Farmer
Molecular determinants of brown adipocyte formation and function
Genes & Dev., May 15, 2008; 22(10): 1269 - 1275.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Roentgenol.Home page
Y. M. Sung, K. S. Lee, B.-T. Kim, S. Kim, O J. Kwon, J. Y. Choi, and S.-O. Yang
Nonpalpable Supraclavicular Lymph Nodes in Lung Cancer Patients: Preoperative Characterization with 18F-FDG PET/CT
Am. J. Roentgenol., January 1, 2008; 190(1): 246 - 252.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cancer Res.Home page
Y. Yoon, Z. Liang, X. Zhang, M. Choe, A. Zhu, H. T. Cho, D. M. Shin, M. M. Goodman, Z. Chen, and H. Shim
CXC Chemokine Receptor-4 Antagonist Blocks Both Growth of Primary Tumor and Metastasis of Head and Neck Cancer in Xenograft Mouse Models
Cancer Res., August 1, 2007; 67(15): 7518 - 7524.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
J. Nedergaard, T. Bengtsson, and B. Cannon
Unexpected evidence for active brown adipose tissue in adult humans
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, August 1, 2007; 293(2): E444 - E452.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
JNMHome page
M. Hadi, C. C. Chen, M. Whatley, K. Pacak, and J. A. Carrasquillo
Brown Fat Imaging with 18F-6-Fluorodopamine PET/CT, 18F-FDG PET/CT, and 123I-MIBG SPECT: A Study of Patients Being Evaluated for Pheochromocytoma
J. Nucl. Med., July 1, 2007; 48(7): 1077 - 1083.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
radtechHome page
K. D. EVANS, T. A. TULLOSS, and N. HALL
18FDG Uptake in Brown Fat: Potential for False Positives
Radiol. Technol., May 1, 2007; 78(5): 361 - 366.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
RadiologyHome page
T. M. Blodgett, C. C. Meltzer, and D. W. Townsend
PET/CT: Form and Function
Radiology, February 1, 2007; 242(2): 360 - 385.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Roentgenol.Home page
A. R. O'Connor and C. Whittaker
Radiologic Findings that Mimic Malignancy
Am. J. Roentgenol., October 1, 2006; 187(4): W357 - W364.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Ann. Thorac. Surg.Home page
A. S. Bryant, R. J. Cerfolio, K. M. Klemm, and B. Ojha
Maximum Standard Uptake Value of Mediastinal Lymph Nodes on Integrated FDG-PET-CT Predicts Pathology in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Ann. Thorac. Surg., August 1, 2006; 82(2): 417 - 423.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
JNMHome page
T. Bunyaviroch and R. E. Coleman
PET Evaluation of Lung Cancer
J. Nucl. Med., March 1, 2006; 47(3): 451 - 469.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cancer Res.Home page
Z. Liang, Y. Yoon, J. Votaw, M. M. Goodman, L. Williams, and H. Shim
Silencing of CXCR4 Blocks Breast Cancer Metastasis
Cancer Res., February 1, 2005; 65(3): 967 - 971.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2004 by the American Roentgen Ray Society.