Performance of sodium iodide based 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the characterization of indeterminate pulmonary nodules or masses

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to document the accuracy of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) with sodium iodide detectors in characterizing indeterminate lung nodules or masses and in identifying additional extralesional findings. 50 consecutive patients without a confident diagnosis of malignancy on CT underwent 18FDG PET with and without attenuation correction. The diagnosis of malignancy was made using visual diagnostic criteria, and tumour-to-blood pool ratios were calculated. The final diagnosis was established by surgery, biopsy or long-term follow-up. Any additional findings made at PET were recorded and similarly verified. Using blinded visual diagnos..