F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET and Ga-67 citrate scintigraphy in a case of AIDS lymphoma and pericarditis

Abstract

A 32-year-old patient with AIDS was examined by Ga-67 citrate and F-18 FDG PET to stage biopsy-proved gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The Ga-67 scan showed increased uptake in the stomach, lungs, and pericardium. The PET study was consistent with lymphomatous involvement in the stomach and lung apices, but no abnormality was evident in the pericardium. The pericardium was not examined by biopsy given the absence of significant symptoms and no large pericardial effusion. The disparity between the Ga-67 and the FDG findings in this region suggested an inflammatory process rather than lymphomatous involvement and highlights the multiple diseases encountered in patients with AIDS.