Parathyroid Glands Hyperplasias Mimicking Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Metastatic Lymph Nodes on 18F-DOPA PET/CT

Clin Nucl Med. 2019 Aug;44(8):e497-e498. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000002633.

Abstract

A pre operatory assessment by neck US, F-DOPA and F-choline PET/CT was performed in a 43-year-old MEN 2A woman affected by hyperparathyroidism and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). On F-DOPA, two thyroid uptakes were analyzed as multifocal MTC and two others in the central neck compartment as MTC metastatic lymph nodes. After surgery, multifocal intra thyroidal MTC and two parathyroid glands hyperplasias were proved without MTC adenopathies. We report a case of rare false positive uptake on F-DOPA. In case of several endocrine diseases coexistence as in MEN 2A, F-DOPA should be carefully analyzed.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / pathology*
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Dihydroxyphenylalanine*
  • Female
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes*
  • Humans
  • Hyperplasia / diagnostic imaging
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Parathyroid Glands / diagnostic imaging*
  • Parathyroid Glands / pathology*
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography*
  • Thyroid Neoplasms / pathology*

Substances

  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Dihydroxyphenylalanine
  • Fluorine-18

Supplementary concepts

  • Thyroid cancer, medullary