Skip to main content
Log in

Constant ambient temperature of 24°C significantly reduces FDG uptake by brown adipose tissue in children scanned during the winter

  • Original Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to determine if warming patients prior to and during 18F-FDG uptake by controlling the room temperature could decrease uptake by brown adipose tissue (BAT).

Methods

A group of 40 children underwent 18F-FDG PET after being kept in the injection room at a constant temperature of 24°C for half an hour before and 1 hour after intravenous tracer administration. The rate of uptake by BAT in this group was compared to the uptake in a control group of 45 patients who underwent PET when the injection room temperature was 21°C.

Results

Uptake by BAT occurred in 5% of studies in the temperature-controlled room compared to 31% of studies performed when the injection room temperature was 21°C (p<0.002).

Conclusion

Maintaining room temperature at a constant 24°C, half an hour prior to and during the period of FDG uptake significantly decreases accumulation of FDG in BAT in children.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Clarke JR, Brglevska S, Lau EW, Ramdave S, Hicks RJ. Atypical brown fat distribution in young males demonstrated on PET/CT. Clin Nucl Med 2007;32:679–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Yeung HW, Grewal RK, Gonen M, Schöder H, Larson SM. Patterns of (18)F-FDG uptake in adipose tissue and muscle: a potential source of false-positives for PET. J Nucl Med 2003;44:1789–96.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Hany TF, Gharehpapagh E, Kamel EM, Buck A, Himms-Hagen J, von Schulthess GK. Brown adipose tissue: a factor to consider in symmetrical tracer uptake in the neck and upper chest region. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2002;29:1393–98.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cohade C, Osman M, Pannu HK, Wahl RL. Uptake in supraclavicular area fat (“USA-Fat”): description on 18F-FDG PET/CT. J Nucl Med 2003;44:170–76.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wehrli NE, Bural G, Houseni M, Alkhawaldeh K, Alavi A, Torigian DA. Determination of age-related changes in structure and function of skin, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle with computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography. Semin Nucl Med 2007;37:195–205.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Cohade C, Mourtzikos K, Wahl R. “USA-Fat”: prevalence is related to ambient outdoor temperature – evaluation with 18F-FDG PET/CT. J Nucl Med 2003;44:1267–70.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Kim S, Krynyckyi BR, Machac J, Kim CK. Temporal relation between temperature change and FDG uptake in brown adipose tissue. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2008;35:984–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Cannon B, Nedergaard J. Brown adipose tissue: function and physiological significance. Physiol Rev 2004;84:277–359.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Gelfand MJ, O’Hara SM, Curtwright LA, Maclean JR. Pre-medication to block [(18)F]FDG uptake in the brown adipose tissue of pediatric and adolescent patients. Pediatr Radiol 2005;35:984–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Parysow O, Mollerach AM, Jager V, Racioppi S, San Roman J, Gerbaudo VH. Low-dose oral propranolol could reduce brown adipose tissue F-18 FDG uptake in patients undergoing PET scans. Clin Nucl Med 2007;32:351–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Söderlund V, Larsson SA, Jacobsson H. Reduction of FDG uptake in brown adipose tissue in clinical patients by a single dose of propranolol. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2007;34:1018–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Tatsumi M, Engles JM, Ishimori T, Nicely O, Cohade C, Wahl RL. Intense (18)F-FDG uptake in brown adipose fat can be reduced pharmacologically. J Nucl Med 2004;45:1189–93.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Garcia CA, Van Nostrand D, Atkins F, Acio E, Butler C, Esposito G, et al. Reduction of brown fat 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose uptake by controlling environmental temperature prior to positron emission tomography scan. Mol Imaging Biol 2006;8:24–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Christensen CR, Clark PB, Morton KA. Reversal of hypermetabolic brown adipose tissue in F-18 FDG PET imaging. Clin Nucl Med 2006;31:193–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Garcia CA, Van Nostrand D, Majd M, Atkins F, Acio E, Sheikh A, et al. Benzodiazepine-resistant "brown fat" pattern in positron emission tomography: two case reports of resolution with temperature control. Mol Imaging Biol 2004;6:368–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Gessner K. Conradi Gesneri medici Tigurini Historiae Animalium: Lib 1 - De Quadrupedibus Viviparis (1551).

  17. Cannon B, Nedergaard J. Developmental biology: Neither fat nor flesh. Nature 2008;454:947–48.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura A. Drubach.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zukotynski, K.A., Fahey, F.H., Laffin, S. et al. Constant ambient temperature of 24°C significantly reduces FDG uptake by brown adipose tissue in children scanned during the winter. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 36, 602–606 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-008-0983-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-008-0983-y

Keywords

Navigation