Respirology Case Reports (Jul 2024)

18F‐FDG accumulation at the early onset of acute exacerbation of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia on 18F‐FDG PET/CT: A case report

  • Kimitaka Akaike,
  • Koichi Saruwatari,
  • Shinya Sakata,
  • Seitaro Oda,
  • Shinya Shiraishi,
  • Shinji Iyama,
  • Aiko Masunaga,
  • Yusuke Tomita,
  • Hidenori Ichiyasu,
  • Takuro Sakagami

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/rcr2.1427
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 7
pp. n/a – n/a

Abstract

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Abstract Acute exacerbation of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (AE‐IIPs) is a disease associated with a poor prognosis in patients with IIPs. However, the specific characteristics of fluorine‐18 2‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose (18F‐FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging for AE‐IIPs remain unclear. Herein, we present the case of a patient with lung cancer combined with IIPs who underwent 18F‐FDG PET/CT at the early onset of AE‐IIPs. The scan, conducted 18 days post‐bronchoscopy for lung cancer evaluation, revealed AE‐IIPs before the onset of respiratory failure. New ground‐glass opacities appeared, accompanied by significant 18F‐FDG accumulation extending beyond these regions. To the best of our knowledge, this report represents the first assessment of 18F‐FDG PET/CT images at the early onset of AE‐IIPs before respiratory failure in humans. The observed features in this PET image could potentially contribute to our understanding of the pathophysiology of AE‐IIPs.

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