Hemorrhoids: A Possible Cause of High FDG Uptake in the Rectum

Received 6/22/2006; revised 6/27/2006; accepted 7/4/2006. For correspondence or reprints contact: Wan-Yu Lin, MD, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital. 160 Section 3, Taichung Harbor Road, Taichung 407, Taiwan. Tel: (886)4-23741349, Fax: (886)4-23741348, E-mail: [email protected] A 52-year-old man underwent F-FDG positron emission tomography (FDG PET) scan as part of a physical check-up. FDG PET scan revealed a focal high uptake in the rectum at 1 hr after injection of FDG. Delayed 3-h imaging was performed after enema and it showed no change in the lesion. The diagnosis of this lesion was internal hemorrhoids based on sigmoidoscopy. After a 6-month-follow-up, the patient was doing well. To our knowledge, the high level of FDG uptake in a hemorrhoid has not yet been reported.