F-18 FDG uptake in a bone infarct: a case report

Abstract

Purpose: The authors describe a patient with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake resulting from a bone infarct of a rib.

Materials and methods: A 52-year-old woman with a history of left breast cancer and total mastectomy 5 years earlier was examined for pain in her left rib cage in the past 2 weeks. A bone scan showed diffusely increased uptake in the left fifth rib, possibly suggestive of a metastasis. An FDG positron emission tomographic (PET) scan was performed to rule out metastatic disease.

Results: The FDG PET images showed two focal areas of increased uptake in the fifth and sixth left ribs, consistent with bone metastases. The patient underwent excision of a long segment of her left fifth rib and the pathological findings were consistent with bone infarct, without definite signs of metastatic disease.

Conclusion: Bone infarct can take up FDG, probably as a result of an inflammatory process.