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Are contrast media required for (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in patients with neuroendocrine tumours of the abdomen?

  • Oncology
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Abstract

Objectives

To determine the value of intravenous contrast medium in (68)Ga-DOTA-Phe(1)-Tyr(3)-octreotide – (68)Ga-DOTATOC – PET/CT for the detection of abdominal neuroendocrine tumours (NET).

Methods

In fifty-five patients with known or suspected NETs of the abdomen PET/CT was performed on a 64-row multi-detector hybrid system. For PET, 150 MBq of (68)Ga-DOTATOC were injected intravenously. Full-dose unenhanced, and arterial- and venous-phase contrast-enhanced CT images were obtained. Unenhanced and contrast-enhanced PET/CT images were evaluated separately for the presence of NETs on a per-region basis, by two separate teams with different experience levels.

Results

On unenhanced PET/CT, sensitivity and specificity ranged from 89.3% (junior team) to 92% (senior team), and 99.1% (junior team) to 99.2% (senior team), respectively. On contrast-enhanced PET/CT, sensitivity and specificity ranged from 92.3% (junior team) to 98.5% (senior team), and 99.4% (junior team) to 99.5% (senior team), respectively. These increases in sensitivity and specificity, due to the use of contrast-enhanced images, were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Intravenous contrast medium only moderately, aleit significantly, improves the sensitivity of (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT for the detection of abdominal NETs, and hardly affects specificity. Thus, while contrast enhancement is justified to achieve maximum sensitivity, unenhanced images may be sufficient for routine PET/CT in NET patients.

Key Points

• Contrast media moderately improve the sensitivity of (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT for neuroendocrine tumours.

• Contrast media hardly affect the specificity of (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT for neuroendocrine tumours.

• Unenhanced PET/CT is sufficient for routine imaging of patients with neuroendocrine tumours.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, PET/CT Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Marius E. Mayerhoefer, Silvia Magnaldi, Michael Weber & Siegfried Trattnig

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Matthias Schuetz & Georgios Karanikas

Authors
  1. Marius E. Mayerhoefer
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  2. Matthias Schuetz
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  3. Silvia Magnaldi
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  4. Michael Weber
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  5. Siegfried Trattnig
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  6. Georgios Karanikas
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Correspondence to Marius E. Mayerhoefer.

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Mayerhoefer, M.E., Schuetz, M., Magnaldi, S. et al. Are contrast media required for (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in patients with neuroendocrine tumours of the abdomen?. Eur Radiol 22, 938–946 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-011-2328-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-011-2328-7

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