[The role of FDG PET/CT for detecting the cause of fever of unknown origin in a clinical case]

Orv Hetil. 2012 Feb 12;153(6):227-31. doi: 10.1556/OH.2012.29296.
[Article in Hungarian]

Abstract

The fever of unknown origin from time to time constitutes a serious clinical problem and nearly all diagnostic methods are involved to discover urgently its cause. According to literature data (18)F-fluoro-deoxyglucose PET/CT was successful in 25-70% of cases even in patients without any positive findings with conventional diagnostic techniques. The Hungarian National Health Fund does not include fever of unknown origin in the list of reimbursed (18)F-fluoro-deoxyglucose PET/CT indications. The authors try to illustrate the clinical problem with this case report. Fever of unknown origin persisted in a patient for a year, but conventional diagnostic procedures were unsuccessful to find the cause of the fever. Finally, (18)F-fluoro-deoxyglucose PET/CT indicated a metabolically active focus between the pancreas tail and the spleen. After a long-lasting antibiotic therapy the patient became symptomfree.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Fever of Unknown Origin / diagnostic imaging
  • Fever of Unknown Origin / etiology*
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18* / administration & dosage
  • Humans
  • Hungary
  • Intra-Abdominal Fat / diagnostic imaging
  • Intra-Abdominal Fat / pathology*
  • Male
  • Multimodal Imaging* / economics
  • Multimodal Imaging* / methods
  • Panniculitis, Peritoneal / complications
  • Panniculitis, Peritoneal / diagnostic imaging*
  • Panniculitis, Peritoneal / drug therapy
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals* / administration & dosage
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18