The use of positron emission tomography with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose for the diagnosis of vascular graft infection.

Vascular graft infection is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate. Diagnosis is difficult, as there is no single diagnostic criterion that has a 100% accuracy. A combination of physical examination, laboratory tests, and several imaging techniques is mandatory.

Paravertebral schwannoma with high uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose on positron emission tomography.

A paravertebral mass was discovered in a 27-year-old woman, while investigating a painful shoulder and arm. CT, MRI and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) pointed in the direction of a benign mass, but positron emission tomography (PET) showed a high uptake of [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), which was indicative of a malignant lesion. Pathological analysis of the thoracoscopically resected tumour gave us the final diagnosis of a benign schwannoma.

Pseudodystrophy. A conversion disorder mimicking reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

The authors suggest some criteria by which pseudodystrophy and reflex sympathetic dystrophy, although sharing some similar clinical features, can be distinguished as two different conditions, each requiring its own approach and management. The most important distinction is found on bone scintigraphy. In reflex sympathetic dystrophy the bone scan shows a typical increased tracer uptake (at least during stages I and II); in pseudodystrophy there is a normal or decreased tracer uptake in the affected region.

The effect of stress on gastric emptying rate measured with a radionuclide tracer.

Background/aims: Stress can delay gastric emptying rate. This phenomenon has not yet been investigated with a physiological solid test meal or a regional analysis.

Methodology: We investigated the gastric emptying rate in beagle dogs using a radio-labeled solid test meal and a gamma camera.