The impact of image fusion in resolving discrepant findings between FDG-PET and MRI/CT in patients with gynaecological cancers

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2003 Dec;30(12):1674-83. doi: 10.1007/s00259-003-1300-4. Epub 2003 Aug 21.

Abstract

This study was performed to prospectively investigate the impact of image fusion in resolving discrepant findings between fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or X-ray computed tomography (CT) in patients with gynaecological cancers. Discrepant findings were defined as lesions where the difference between the FDG-PET and MRI/CT images was assigned a value of at least 2 on a 5-point probability scale. The FDG-PET and MRI/CT images were taken within 1 month of each other. Image fusion between FDG-PET and CT was performed by automatic registration between the two images. During an 18-month period, 34 malignant lesions and seven benign lesions from 32 patients who had undergone either surgical excision or a CT-guided histopathological investigation were included for analysis. Among these cases, image fusion was most frequently required to determine the nature and/or the extent of abdominal and pelvic lesions (28/41, 68%), especially as regards peritoneal seeding (8/41, 20%). Image fusion was most useful in providing better localisation for biopsy (16/41, 39%) and in discriminating between lesions with pathological versus physiological FDG uptake (12/41, 29%). Image fusion changed the original diagnosis based on MRI/CT alone in 9/41 lesions (22%), and the original diagnosis based on FDG-PET alone in 5/41 lesions (12%). It led to alteration of treatment planning (surgery or radiotherapy) in seven of the 32 patients (22%). In patients with gynaecological cancers, the technique of image fusion is helpful in discriminating the nature of FDG-avid lesions, in effectively localising lesions for CT-guided biopsy and in providing better surgical or radiotherapy planning.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
  • Genital Neoplasms, Female / diagnosis
  • Genital Neoplasms, Female / diagnostic imaging*
  • Genital Neoplasms, Female / pathology
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / methods*
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Middle Aged
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Subtraction Technique*
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed / methods
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18