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Brown adipose tissue 18F-FDG uptake in pediatric PET/CT imaging

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Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) using [F-18]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) fused with CT (18F-FDG PET/CT) has been widely adopted in oncological imaging. However, it is known that benign lesions and other metabolically active tissues, such as brown adipose tissue (BAT), can accumulate 18F-FDG, potentially resulting in false-positive interpretation. Previous studies have reported that 18F-FDG uptake in BAT is more common in children than in adults. We illustrate BAT FDG uptake in various anatomical locations in children and adolescents. We also review what is known about the effects of patient-related physical attributes and environmental temperatures on BAT FDG uptake, and discuss methods used to reduce BAT FDG uptake on 18F-FDG PET.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. S.T. Treves for allowing us to include his data in this review. In addition, we would like to thank Wendy Doda, Tommy Stuleanu and Pallavi Sriram for their help in the preparation of our manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

    Terence S. Hong

  2. Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Division of Nuclear Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Canada, M5G 1X8

    Amer Shammas & Martin Charron

  3. Department of Imaging, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Katherine A. Zukotynski

  4. Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine/PET, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Laura A. Drubach

  5. Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Ruth Lim

Authors
  1. Terence S. Hong
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  2. Amer Shammas
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  3. Martin Charron
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  4. Katherine A. Zukotynski
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  5. Laura A. Drubach
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  6. Ruth Lim
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Correspondence to Amer Shammas.

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Hong, T.S., Shammas, A., Charron, M. et al. Brown adipose tissue 18F-FDG uptake in pediatric PET/CT imaging. Pediatr Radiol 41, 759–768 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-010-1925-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-010-1925-y

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