Primary spinal epidural non-Hodgkin lymphoma demonstrated by FDG PET/CT.

We report the F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography appearance of a biopsy-proven primary epidural non-Hodgkin lymphoma involving the lower cervical and upper thoracic spine with a small hypermetabolic right middle lobe nodule in a 33-year-old man. The HIV-positive patient presented with mid- to low back pain for several days, which progressed to lower extremity weakness and urinary retention. Primary spinal epidural non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare form of malignancy, constituting approximately 0.1% to 3.3% of all lymphomas. In our case, the primary tumor appears as an intensely hypermetabolic soft-tissue mass involving the posterior epidural space from C6 through T9 levels.