Özet:

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the differential diagnosis of malignant and benign pleural disease as well as its prognostic value in the malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods: Fifty-eight patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/ CT due to diffuse or nodular pleural thickening determined on conventional CT were retrospectively analyzed.18F-FDG PET/ CT scans were evaluated visually and semiquantitatively using maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). Mediastinal blood pool SUVmax was used as a threshold value for defining positive/negative accumulation of tracer. 18F-FDG PET/CT findings were compared with histopathological and survival data. Patients were followed up clinically/radiologically. Results: Thirty-eight of fifty-eight patients (65.5%) had FDG (+) pleural lesions; 28/38 patients (73.6%) were diagnosed MPM and 10/38 patients (26.4%) were determined benign pleural disesase histopathologically. 20/58 scans (34.5%) were negative, and 18 of them were assumed benign based on two years follow-up, whereas 2 patients were diagnosed MPM by biopsy due to radiologic progression. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive, and negative predictive values were 93%, 64%, 79%, 73%, and 90% respectively. Median overall survival was found to be 14.5 months. Higher SUVmax level (SUVmax>7.4) was associated with shorter survival (13 vs. 24 months)(p=0.032). Conclusion: 18F-FDG-PET/CT is a sensitive imaging method for differential diagnosis of malignant/benign pleural lesions, indicates the target of biopsy, and effects the management of patients. SUVmax of MPM has a potential role for predicting the prognosis.

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