Unexplained fever in children-Benefits and challenges of FDG-PET/CT.

Acta Paediatr

Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Published: November 2022

Aim: To explore [fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron-emission-tomography/computed tomography ( FDG-PET/CT) in patients where standard investigations were non-diagnostic.

Methods: We reviewed medical records of previously healthy children who had FDG-PET/CT performed at Copenhagen University Hospital in 2015-2020 due to unexplained fever.

Results: Thirty-five of 819 paediatric FDG-PET/CT were performed due to unexplained fever. The final diagnoses were malignancy (11%), infections (23%), inflammatory diseases (43%) and miscellaneous (26%). FDG-PET/CT was diagnostic in six cases with Takayasu's arteritis, tuberculosis, Langerhans cell histiocytosis and Ewing sarcoma. Sixteen cases had focal FDG-uptake, but FDG-PET/CT could only differentiate malignancy, infection and inflammation in three cases. In six cases with inflammatory diseases and no focal signs, PET/CT was normal except increased non-specific FDG-uptake in bone marrow and spleen in five cases. One case was false positive (suspicion of appendicitis) and two false negative (leukaemia and inflammatory disease).

Conclusion: FDG-PET/CT was diagnostic, or contributed to the diagnosis, in several children with unexplained fever referred to a tertiary centre. Challenges comprised (i) only increased non-specific FDG-uptake in bone marrow and spleen in half of cases with inflammatory diseases, (ii) no differentiation between complicated infections, malignancy and inflammation in most cases with focal processes and (iii) a small risk of false positive and false negative results.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/apa.16503DOI Listing

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