Clinical nuclear medicine
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An 85-year-old woman with history of melanoma is referred for a follow-up F-FDG PET/CT. F-FDG PET/CT scan showed bilateral and peripheral ground-glass opacities in upper and lower pulmonary lobes surrounded by consolidations of crescent shape with increased FDG uptake, findings compatible with organizing pneumonia. Following further inquiry, the patient reported low-grade fever, sore throat, and fatigue for the past 6 days. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the patient was tested for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), which resulted positive.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Aug 2020
Case ReportsFDG PET/CT Findings in an Asymptomatic Case of Confirmed COVID-19.
In the current and rapidly worsening pandemic, patients with COVID-19 may undergo imaging with FDG PET/CT. Because a significant proportion of infected patients may be asymptomatic, incidental discovery on a PET/CT scan performed for unrelated reasons can occur. Because of the highly infectious nature of this agent, it is important that interpreting physicians be aware of the typical imaging findings to identify potentially affected patients. We present the case of an asymptomatic patient referred for FDG PET/CT imaging of a lung nodule who demonstrated the typical CT findings of COVID-19 infection and was subsequently found to be positive on testing.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Aug 2020
Case ReportsIncidental Finding of COVID-19 Lung Infection in 18F-FDG PET/CT: What Should We Do?
We report the case of an asymptomatic (no fever, no cough, no dyspnea) 80-year-old woman who had an F-FDG PET/CT scan for initial staging of Lieberkühnian adenocarcinoma located on anal canal. Chest analysis incidentally revealed bilateral diffuse patchy ground-glass opacity with mild increasing F-FDG uptake, consistent with incidental COVID-19 infection finding during the March 2020 pandemic. The infection was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. It led us to improve patient flow and to undertake broader measures to avoid patient clinical issues and potential disease spreading.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Aug 2020
Case ReportsFDG PET/CT in Diagnosing COVID-19 Infection in a Cancer Patient With Exposure History But Minimal Symptoms.
A 56-year-old woman with high-grade neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma had known contact history of COVID-19 about 16 days prior to the restaging PET/CT. The patient was instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days, and no COVID-19 test was performed. ⋯ The FDG PET/CT images revealed new multifocal hypermetabolic bilateral pulmonary ground-glass opacities that are suggestive of COVID-19 pneumonia. Meanwhile, the patient's symptoms worsened, and a blood test later confirmed COVID-19 infection.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Aug 2020
Case ReportsIncidental COVID-19 Pneumonia on 18F-Fluorocholine PET/CT.
We present the case of a patient who underwent F-fluorocholine PET/CT for biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer in which bilateral pneumonia was diagnosed. In the current state of COVID-19 pandemic, a high prevalence of incidental pneumonia may be expected, even with previous clinical triage, explained by a nondefined number of patients who were asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic for infectious process. Therefore, nuclear medicine physicians should be prepared to recognize and diagnose incidental COVID-19 pneumonia manifestation on F-fluorocholine PET/CT, due to the crucial epidemiological implications.