Objective: PET/CT with (18)F-FDG shows metabolically active disease and is widely used for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with cancer. Nonmetabolically active renal pathology may be missed without close attention to the CT portion of the study, whereas metabolically active pathology may be missed on PET because of physiologic tracer excretion in the kidneys. This article illustrates primary lesions of the kidney on FDG PET/CT with emphasis on key anatomic features and the appearance of tracer uptake.
Conclusion: Close attention to both the FDG PET and CT portions of the study is essential to interpret renal pathology correctly on FDG PET/CT examinations.