Clinical nuclear medicine
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Sep 2010
Case ReportsF-18 FDG PET/CT findings in pulmonary necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis.
Necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis (NSG) is a rare systemic disease that was described by Liebow in 1973. Dyspnea and chest pain may be present, as in our first patient; however, 25% of patients are asymptomatic, as our second patient. ⋯ We report 2 cases, confirming that the lesions of NSG are FDG positive, showing a typical pattern of multiple bilateral lung nodules (imaged with PET/CT in 1 case). FDG imaging has a potential role when this distribution is observed on CT, to guide the surgical biopsy and show the actual extent of the disease.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Jun 2010
Case ReportsChanges in regional cerebral blood flow and three-phase bone scan after repeated somatic nerve blocks for sympathetically independent pain.
The pathophysiology of complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS 1) correlates with variances in both the peripheral and central nerve system. We attempted to explore the topographic correlation between changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and 3-phase bone scans during treatments of a series of somatic nerve blocks. ⋯ The changes in rCBF seem to support the theory that the pathogenesis of CRPS is also related to the central nervous system. Multiple somatic nerve blocks (SNB) not only improved physical function but also reversed the CRPS symptoms, for which we presume that reduced nociceptive input signals led to cortical reorganization.
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Clinical nuclear medicine · Apr 2010
Clinical TrialImpact of FDG PET/CT on delineation of the gross tumor volume for radiation planning in non-small-cell lung cancer.
Computed tomography (CT) remains the gold standard for delineation of tumor volumes for radiotherapy (RT) planning. However, positron emission tomography (PET) overlay on CT has shown to impact the gross target volume (GTV), decrease intraobserver variability, and change the treatment planning in a significant number of patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence and accuracy of FDG PET in GTV definition as a complementary modality to CT for patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. ⋯ Our results are consistent with the published data of PET/CT altering GTV in a significant number of patients, detecting tumor spread to additional lymph nodes and distant metastases. While these advantages support the use of PET/CT in RT planning, it remains unknown what impact this will have on patient outcomes.