Detection of incidental colorectal pathology on positron emission tomography/computed tomography

Abstract

Background: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is an important modality in cancer imaging. With its increasing availability and use, it is not uncommon to detect incidental focal colorectal 18F-FDG uptake which poses a diagnostic challenge, as they may be associated with malignant or pre-malignant colorectal lesions. The aim of our study is to determine the proportion of these findings which represents true pathology. Methods: Patients with incidental focal colorectal 18F-FDG uptake on PET/CT who subsequently underwent colonoscopy between January 2002 to September 2013 were identified from a prospective database in a tertiary referral centre. PET/CT results were correl..