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Perirenal 18F-FDG Uptake in a Patient with a Pheochromocytoma

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Abstract

Increased 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake of brown fat on 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) originating from physiological activation is a common incidental finding and is usually located in the neck, shoulder, and supraclavicular areas. We present a case of an incidental pheochromocytoma showing diffusely increased 18F-FDG uptake in bilateral perirenal fat tissue as well as supraclavicular and paravertebral fat tissue on 18F-FDG PET/CT. The patient had no clinical symptoms except hypertension, and a pheochromocytoma was confirmed in a postsurgical specimen. A pheochromocytoma should be considered a cause in cases of increased 18F-FDG uptake of perirenal brown fat.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Establishment Center for PET Application Technology Development, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS), and by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (50441–2014).

Conflict of Interest

Jihyun Park, Byung Hyun Byun, Chang Won Jung, Hansol Moon, Kyoung Jin Chang, Ilhan Lim, Byung Il Kim, Chang Woon Choi, and Sang Moo Lim declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics Statement

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Korea Cancer Center Hospital (IRB no. K-1402-002-030) and was performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. Acquisition of informed consent was exempted by the board because of the retrospective nature of the study. Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects were omitted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, 75, Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 139-706, Republic of Korea

    Jihyun Park, Byung Hyun Byun, Hansol Moon, Kyoung Jin Chang, Ilhan Lim, Byung Il Kim, Chang Woon Choi & Sang Moo Lim

  2. Department of Pathology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Chang Won Jung

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  1. Jihyun Park
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  2. Byung Hyun Byun
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  4. Hansol Moon
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  6. Ilhan Lim
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  9. Sang Moo Lim
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Correspondence to Sang Moo Lim.

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Park, J., Byun, B.H., Jung, C.W. et al. Perirenal 18F-FDG Uptake in a Patient with a Pheochromocytoma. Nucl Med Mol Imaging 48, 233–236 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-014-0276-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-014-0276-2

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