Cutaneous and subcutaneous imaging on FDG-PET: benign and malignant findings

• Published in: Clinical nuclear medicine Vol. 34; no. 10; p. 675
• Main Authors: Blumer, Steven L, Scalcione, Luke R, Ring, Bobbi N, Johnson, Ravi, Motroni, Betty, Katz, Douglas S, Yung, Elizabeth Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2009
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Positron-Emission Tomography; Postoperative Care; Skin - diagnostic imaging; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Whole Body Imaging; Wound Healing
• DOI: 10.1097/RLU.0b013e3181b53845

F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-18 FDG PET) has been shown to be useful in the evaluation of many tumors due to its high sensitivity and specificity. However, false-positive interpretations may occur from benign subcutaneous and cutaneous etiologies. At our institution we have encountered FDG-PET scans which demonstrated a variety of cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions including stomas, hernias, rhinophyma, dose infiltrations, physiologic muscle uptake, and tophaceous gout. Additionally, malignant cutaneous and subcutaneous malignant lesions may also demonstrate substantial F-18 FDG uptake on PET scans, including lymphoma, skin metastases, and melanoma. The purpose of this atlas article is to demonstrate and review key features of various cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions, both benign and malignant, which can result in hypermetabolism on FDG-PET or PET-CT scans.