Smith Clare S, Schöder Heiko, Yeung Henry W D
Department of Radiology/Nuclear Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2007 Jun;188(6):1716-21. doi: 10.2214/AJR.06.0552.
Although 18F-FDG PET/CT is now well established as an accurate method for the staging and restaging of various cancers, it is also well recognized that many false-positive results can occur. One such false-positive is activity within the superior extent of the thymus in the superior mediastinum.
We reviewed all PET/CT examinations performed in children and young adults under the age of 20 years at our institution over a 2-month period. In 11 (12%) of the 93 examinations, activity was identified in the superior mediastinum of similar intensity to the thymus, which is consistent with activity within the superior thymic extension. In light of the increasing clinical use of FDG PET/CT for cancer imaging, it is important that nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists be aware of this phenomenon to avoid misdiagnosis or overstaging of disease.
尽管18F-FDG PET/CT现已成为各种癌症分期和再分期的准确方法，但人们也充分认识到可能会出现许多假阳性结果。其中一种假阳性是上纵隔胸腺上部区域的活性。
我们回顾了在我院2个月内对20岁以下儿童和青年进行的所有PET/CT检查。在93例检查中的11例（12%）中，上纵隔发现了与胸腺强度相似的活性，这与胸腺上部延伸区域内的活性一致。鉴于FDG PET/CT在癌症成像中的临床应用日益增加，核医学医师和放射科医生了解这一现象以避免疾病的误诊或过度分期非常重要。
