Unlabelled: Successful treatment of pheochromocytoma requires accurate diagnosis and localization of tumors. Herein, we investigated the accuracy of PET using 3,4-dihydroxy-6-(18)F-fluoro-phenylalanine ((18)F-FDOPA), an amino acid transporter substrate, as an independent marker for detection of benign and malignant pheochromocytomas.
Methods: The study comprised 25 consecutive patients (9 men, 16 women) whose median age was 51 y (range, 25-68 y), with known or suspected pheochromocytoma.