The value of combining 18F-FDG PET/CT and CECT in differential diagnosis of malignant and benign pancreatic lesions

Objective: Pancreatic lesion is still a clinical challenge in spite of many imaging technology advances. For better diagnosis, investigation in this study was the values of combining 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG) PET/CT and abdominal contrast-enhanced CT (CECT)in malignant and benign pancreatic lesions. Methods: The whole body 18F-FDG PET/CT and abdominal CECT were performed in 15 patients with malignant pancreatic lesions and 6 benign lesions. The diagnoses were made by PET, CECT alone and PET/CT respectively. The diagnostic value of each strategy was reviewed in light of pathologic findings. Results: All malignant pancreatic lesions were accurately diagnosed by PET and PET/CT, while CECT correctly identified all benign lesions. Among 15 patients with malignant pancreatic lesions, 2 were false negative in CECT, while 2 false positive in PET and 1 false positive in PET/CT were encountered among 6 patients with benign lesions. The diagnostic accuracy of CECT, PET and PET/CT in malignancies were 90.5% ,90.5% and 95.2%, respectively. PET/CT detected more metastases lesions in liver, lymph nodes and bone (35, 41 and 9, respectively) than CECT (16, 24 and 3, respectively). Conclusion: The combination of PET/CT and CECT could enhance the accuracy in differential diagnosis and staging of pancreatic tumors. (authors)