Pulmonary sclerosing haemangioma mimicking lung cancer on PET scan

Abstract

Sclerosing haemangioma is an uncommon lung tumour that typically presents as a solitary, peripheral pulmonary nodule in the lower lobe. Little is known of the appearance of these tumours on FDG-PET scan. We report two patients with sclerosing haemangioma with increased uptake on FDG-PET scan, which complicated the preoperative work-up. Although the CT scan features of these two masses were compatible with the differential diagnosis of sclerosing haemangioma, the central location and increased uptake on FDG-PET scan raised the suspicion of malignancy. We conclude that centrally located large sclerosing haemangiomas may be avid on FDG-PET scan, and that familiarity with this false positive finding helps in the diagnosis of a solitary pulmonary nodule.