Heterogeneous 18F-FDG uptake in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis

Clin Nucl Med. 2013 May;38(5):387-9. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0b013e3182868af9.

Abstract

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) describes an infection of the upper aerodigestive tract by the human papilloma virus most commonly affecting the larynx with rare lung involvement in 1%-2% of affected patients. We describe an unusual case of a 28-year-old male patient with a longstanding history of RRP where a whole-body PET/CT obtained for disease staging revealed multiple cavitary pulmonary nodules in addition to the more typical tracheobronchial papillomas. In the case described herein, we report heterogeneous uptake of 18F-FDG among these RRP lesions, suggesting significant unexpected variability in the underlying metabolic behavior of these lesions.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biological Transport
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Multimodal Imaging
  • Papillomavirus Infections / diagnostic imaging*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / metabolism*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Recurrence
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / diagnostic imaging*
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / metabolism*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18

Supplementary concepts

  • Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis