[Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in patients with benign pulmonary nodules].

Objective To assess the features of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG) uptake in patients with benign pulmonary nodules.Methods From October 1998 to July 2004,47 patients with benign pulmonary nodules were imaged with FDG-positron emission tomography(PET).Diagnoses were confirmed by surgery.FDG-PET data was analyzed by visual method and semiquatitative method.When pulmonary nodules with abnormal FDG uptaking appeared in PET scans confirmed by visual method,their maximum and mean standard uptake value(SUVmax and SUVmean) and SUV of normal lung(SUVlung) were measured using semiquantitative method.Results Twenty-one cases showed nothing abnormal in PET scans,including 17 calcification and fibrosis,2 harmatomas and 2 sclerosing hemangiomas.26 pulmonary nodules were detected by FDG-PET(17 active tuberculous,6 inflammatory pseudotumors,3 cryptocdcosis).FDG uptake of these 26 nodules was higher than that of normal lung(SUVmax,SUVmean and SUVlung were 3.04±1.65,2.48±1.35 and 0.40±0.07,respectively,P0.001).Correlations were not found between FDG uptake and nodule size or SUV of normal lung or age or blood glucose level in these 26 patients(P0.05).SUV in 9 cases(9/26,35%) were beyond 2.5.Conclusions Some benign pulmonary nodules were FDG avid.