Background: Positron emission tomography with 2-[18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose coupled to a dedicated CT scanner (FDG-PET-CT) is an accurate test for the diagnosis of malignancy of pulmonary nodules. We have assessed the diagnostic accuracy of this test at the Lyon Sud Hospital Centre (LSHC).
Methods: We examined retrospectively 93 patients with no past history of cancer who had had a FDG-PET-CT evaluation for the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules or mass lesions between the 1st January 2005 and the 30th June 2006 at the CHLS. The results of the PET scans were compared with the histological findings or follow-up imaging.
Results: The sensitivity was 97.85 (IC 95% Sc =[93.4; 100]), the specificity was 79.2% (IC95% Sc=[67.6; 90.7]), the positive predictive value was 81.5%, the negative predictive value was 97.4% and the accuracy was 88.2%.
Conclusions: In current practice these results support the validity of FDG-PET-CT at the LSHC for the diagnosis of malignancy of pulmonary nodules and mass lesions while giving nuclear medicine physicians the opportunity to improve their standards of practice.