Diffusely increased 18F-FDG thyroid radionuclide uptake is not always hyperthyroidism

Introduction In the routine evaluation of the thyroid, imaging is often a useful modality, which gives anatomical and functional characteristics that can aid diagnosis. Thyroid ultrasonography is the principal imaging modality in this regard, whereas CT, MRI and PET scanning are much less frequently ordered for thyroid assessment through thyroid lesions are often discovered via such advanced imaging modalities as incidental findings.1 Unlike radiologists, most physicians tend to be unfamiliar with radiological features of thyroid disorders detected via these latter forms of scanning.2 Case description A 25-year-old woman who was otherwise overtly healthy and asymptomatic without any history of medical illnesses or chronic medications had volunteered for a research study on brown fat. She underwent whole-body 18F-FDG PET/MR imaging according to a standard protocol. This unexpectedly revealed abnormally increased FDG uptake (SUVmax=6.84) over the anterior neck strangely reminiscent of typical radionuclide (99m...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Open access Images Source Type: research