Image-guided biopsy: what the interventional radiologist needs to know about PET/CT.

Positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) with fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is increasingly used in evaluation of oncology patients. Because PET/CT can demonstrate malignancy before morphologic changes are evident, application of PET/CT information to image-guided biopsy can facilitate early histologic diagnosis and staging. However, because FDG uptake is not specific to cancer, PET/CT findings may raise questions about whether uptake in a lesion is an indication for biopsy.

The role of preoperative CT scan in patients with chronic otitis media.

Chronic otitis media may be due to chronic mucosal disease or cholesteatoma. Differentiating the two is usually achieved by clinical examination. The computed tomography (CT) scan is the standard imaging technique for the temporal bone, but its exact role in the preoperative assessment of patients with chronic otitis media is controversial.