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Vol.51 No.2 contents | Japanese/English |
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- Original Article -
Clinical Characteristics of Elastofibroma Dorsi Incidentally Detected on FDG-PET/CT for a Thoracic Tumor
Hidenori Kawasaki1, Noboru Higa1, Tomofumi Yohena1, Tsutomu Kawabata1, Masayuki Kuniyoshi1, Atsushi Nakamoto2, Isoko Oowan2, Shigeru Miyagi2, Mutsuo Kuba2, Kiyoshi Ishikawa11Department of Surgery, 2Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization Okinawa Hospital, Japan
Objective. When elastofibroma dorsi with FDG accumulation is found by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in patients with a malignant tumor, its differentiation from a metastasis seems to be a difficult and critical problem. As there are few reports on FDG-PET for elastofibroma dorsi, we reviewed those cases of elastofibroma dorsi which were incidentally discovered on FDG-PET/CT. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 306 patients who underwent FDG-PET/CT for the evaluation of a lung or mediastinal tumor, and in whom elastofibroma dorsi was detected, and analyzed their clinical characteristics. Results. Elastofibroma dorsi was detected in 16 of the 306 cases (5.2%); 10 of whom were women and 6 were men. Age ranged from 55 to 82 years, with an average of 71.6 years. Woman were predominant among the patients with elastofibroma dorsi, compared with patients without a tumor (p=0.0177). Elderly patients were also predominant among the patients with elastofibroma dorsi, compared with patients without a tumor, but the difference was not significant (p=0.0587). The accumulation of FDG was observed in 8 of the 16 cases (15 of 31 tumors). The maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) ranged from 2.0 to 2.9, with an average of 2.3, among those cases in which the SUVmax was evaluated. Conclusion. Although elastofibroma is rare, it is important for physicians to know that some elastofibromas exhibit FDG accumulation on PET. This knowledge may help to prevent unnecessary biopsies or surgical interventions, and also prevent excessive anxiety in patients with elastofibroma dorsi.
key words: Elastofibroma dorsi, FDG-PET/CT
Received: October 25, 2010
Accepted: January 24, 2011
JJLC 51 (2): 63-66, 2011
