Accumulation of FDG in Central Venous Catheter Mimicking Lymph Node Metastasis in FDG-PET Imaging

Received 8/14/2006; revised 9/5/2006; accepted 9/6/2006. For correspondence or reprints contact: Wan-Yu Lin, M.D., Department of Nuclear Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, 160 Section 3, Taichung Harbor Road, Section 3, Taichung 407, Taiwan. Tel: (886)4-23741349, Fax: (886)423741348, E-mail: [email protected] We presented a 45-year-old woman who underwent FDG-PET scans due to suspected recurrent ovarian cancer. A FDG-uptake region in the mediastinum was noted in the initial PET scan after the injection of FDG via the central venous catheter. In the repeated PET study performed the following day with administration of FDG via the peripheral vein, this FDG-accumulated area disappeared. The unexpected focal activity in the central venous catheter was more likely due to the accumulation of FDG in the catheter. The possible causes of catheter-related FDG uptake were discussed. To avoid overdiagnosing a malignacy, the FDG-PET scan should be interpreted with caution in patient with central venous catheter.