Seminars in nuclear medicine
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Multiple myeloma (MM) is a relatively rare hematologic disorder characterized by proliferation of plasma cells, primarily involving the bone marrow. Extramedullary involvement also occurs with poor prognosis. Asymptomatic plasma cell disorders, monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance, and smoldering MM, which do not require therapy, should be distinguished from symptomatic MM, which requires treatment. ⋯ A variety of diagnostic imaging procedures have been employed to assess the extent of disease in MM and to evaluate the response to treatment as well as provide surveillance for the detection of recurrent disease. These include whole-body x-ray, which despite its limitations is regularly used to detect lytic bone lesions; CT radiography; MRI; and a variety of radionuclide imaging procedures, with (18)F-FDG-PET/CT emerging as the radionuclide procedure of choice. Recently, the Durie-Salmon criteria have been upgrade to the Durie-Salmon PLUS system, which includes (18)F-FDG-PET/CT and MRI of the spine and pelvis.