Dual time point C-11 acetate PET imaging can potentially distinguish focal nodular hyperplasia from primary hepatocellular carcinoma

Clin Nucl Med. 2009 Dec;34(12):874-7. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0b013e3181bed06e.

Abstract

C-11 acetate positron emission tomography (PET) is known to have high sensitivity in detecting hepatocellular carcinoma. However, one of the shortcomings of C-11 acetate PET in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma is that C-11 acetate also accumulates in focal nodular hyperplasia, which makes it challenging to distinguish hepatocellular carcinoma form focal nodular hyperplasia when a conventional single time point PET imaging method is used. Two patients with suspected hepatocellular carcinoma and negative fluoro-deoxy-glucose PET scans underwent C-11 acetate PET dual time imaging in which both early and delayed images were acquired. One patient was subsequently confirmed having hepatocellular carcinoma while the other had focal nodular hyperplasia. C-11 acetate imaging was positive in both patients. Interestingly, in hepatocellular carcinoma the C-11 acetate activity in the delayed images is higher than in the early images while in focal nodular hyperplasia, the C-11 acetate activity decreased in the delayed image when compared with early images. Our findings suggest that dual time point imaging has potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy of C-11 acetate PET in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acetates*
  • Carbon*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / diagnostic imaging*
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Focal Nodular Hyperplasia / diagnostic imaging*
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Acetates
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • carbon-11 acetate
  • Carbon