The diagnostic value of F18-FDG-PET/CT in benign/malignant differantiation of solitary pulmonary nodules

AIM (OBJECTIVE): Solitary pulmonary nodule is a common seen and usually met radiological finding in population. They have widespread etiologic reasons, 40-50% of clinically determined nodules are malignant and 50-60% of them are benign lesions. For malignant/benign diagnostic differentiation of solitary pulmonary nodules F18-FDG PET/CT is used as a non-invasive method. The aim of this study was to determine diagnostic value of F18-FDG-PET/CT in assessment of malignancy of lesion in patients that solitary pulmonary nodules were determined by conventional methods.MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 209 patients that solitary pulmonary nodules were determined by computed thorax tomography and then F18-FDG-PET/CT were taken, showed or not showed FDG uptake 125 male, 84 female were included. SUVmax value 2,5 and higher lesions were assessed as high probablity of malignity.RESULTS: 125 of 209 patients were determined as benign and 84 were malignant. In terms of malignancy, SUVmax value of negative approved was 2,06±3,29, and SUVmax of malignant patients was 4,10±5,07. When cut-off value for SUVmax was 2,5; sensitivity for total body imaging was 67,4%, specifity was 86,2%, positive predictive value was 88,7%, negative predictive value was 62,1%, and accuracy was determined 74,6%. When SUVmax cut-off value was 4; sensitivity was 83,0%, specifity was 70,0%, positive predictive value was 81,8%, negative predictive value was 72,0%, and accuracy was determined 78,4%.CONCLUSION: High FDG uptake demonstrating lesions are malignant with high probability. But wrong positivity acting situations should be remembered. In patients with another organ malignancy that have determined SPN; lesion dimension was determined small and FDG uptake lower or not nodules were determined as malignant with high probability.