January - March 2023, Volume 19, Issue 1

Maman A, Gultekin S

Vertebral GA-68 Dotatate Uptake Mimicking Lung Neuroendocrine Tumor Metastasis

Acta Endo (Buc) 2023, 19 (1): 104-107
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2023.104

A 57 years old woman was diagnosed with welldifferentiated lung neuroendocrine tumor (NET) by laboratory assessment, computed tomography (CT), contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and bronchoscophy with transbroncial biopsy of nodular lung lesion located in the right lower lobe. Staging Ga-68 positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) showed two pathological uptake regions in the superior segment of the right lung lower lobe (SUVmax: 80.61) and 6th thoracic vertebral body (SUVmax: 3.70). Contrast-enhanced MRI findings suggested that vertebral lesion may be compatible with atypical hemangioma or osseous metastasis due to T1 isointensity, T2 hyperintensity and contrast-enhancement on the lesion. Therefore, characteristic imaging findings of hemangioma were seen on axial and sagittal or coronal sections of CT, respectively called as ‘polka dot’ and ‘corduroy cloth’. Thus the mild vertebral Ga-68 DOTATATE uptake was accepted as false positive finding. Surgical intervention was decided. She underwent a right lung lobectomy. The last follow-up of the patient was done 2 years after the initial diagnosis. The follow-up Ga-68 DOTATATE PET-CT revealed no pathological increased uptake in the whole-body except the 6th vertebra showing similar uptake (SUVmax: 3.50) with the previous scan without size increase on CT. The patient was asymptomatic with normal serum chromogranin A level.

Keywords: Lung NET, vertebral hemangioma, imaging findings, PET-CT, Ga-68 DOTATATE uptake.

Correspondence: Adem Maman, Ataturk University, Faculty of Medicine - Nuclear medicine, Ezurum, 25100, Turkey, E-mail: schankii@gmail.com