Normal and variable patterns in PET

Abstract

The clinical applications and investigations of positron emission tomography (PET) have recently been increasing. The majority of the clinical PET studies and the use of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) are related to oncology, but the uptake of this radiopharmaceutical is not specific to malignant tissue. There are several physiologic uptakes and artifacts which make it difficult to evaluate or detect malignant tissue. It is important to be aware of normal variants and benign diseases that may mimic more serious pathology. Uptake of FDG in a number of sites may be variable and may normally be seen in the skeletal muscle after exercise or under tension, in the myocardium, in parts of the gastrointestinal tract, especially the stomach and cecum, and in the urinary tract. Some causes of increased physiologic uptake are avoidable, and measures can be taken to minimize accumulation. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York. All rights are reserved.