FDG PET Imaging in Pneumocystis Pneumonia

Clin Nucl Med. 2015 Aug;40(8):679-81. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000000831.

Abstract

A 69-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis and pleuritis presented with dyspnea. On admission, she was afebrile and had an oxygen saturation of 97% on ambient air. Chest radiography and CT revealed only subtle ground-glass opacities. However, FDG PET revealed pathological uptake in both lungs. A diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia was made based on a positive β-D-glucan assay and polymerase chain reaction amplification of Pneumocystis jirovecii from the sputum. Posttreatment FDG PET revealed resolution of the previously noted uptake. This case illustrates that FDG PET can be used to diagnose Pneumocystis pneumonia when the CT findings are equivocal.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / complications
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / diagnostic imaging*
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Humans
  • Pneumocystis carinii / isolation & purification
  • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / complications
  • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / microbiology
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18