Page 105 - ARNM-3-1

Advances in Radiotherapy &

Nuclear Medicine

CASE SERIES
The role of F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron
18
emission tomography/computed tomography
in the detection of brown tumors: A case series

Salah Nabih Oueriagli*, Ayoub Dribla*, Omar Ait Sahel, Yassir Ben Ameur,
and Abderrahim Doudouh
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, Souissi University, Rabat,
Morocco

Abstract
We present two cases of chronic hemodialysis patients with suspicious lytic
pelvic bone lesions in the context of secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). Bone
biopsies were inconclusive. F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/
18
computed tomography ( F-FDG PET/CT) scans revealed highly hypermetabolic lytic
18
lacunar bone lesions scattered throughout the skeleton. Pathological 99m Tc-hexakis-
*Corresponding authors: methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile ( 99m Tc-MIBI) uptake in the cervical region suggested
Salah Nabih Oueriagli parathyroid tissue involvement, while whole-body 99m Tc-MIBI scintigraphy did not
(salah.nabihoueriagli@gmail.com)
Ayoub Dribla reveal pathological uptake. Brown tumors were strongly suspected based on clinical
(ayoubdribla10@gmail.com) and laboratory evidence of HPT, ruling out malignancy. Our cases suggest the
superior sensitivity of F-FDG PET/CT in detecting and characterizing brown tumors
18
Citation: Oueriagli SN, Dribla A,
Sahel OA, Ameur YB, Doudouh A. compared to whole-body 99m Tc-MIBI scintigraphy. This examination offers crucial
The role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose insights into characterizing brown tumors based on morpho-metabolic criteria,
positron emission tomography/ minimizing inaccurate diagnosis of this pathological condition.
computed tomography in the
detection of brown tumors: A case
series. Adv Radiother Nucl Med.
2025;3(1):97-102. Keywords: Brown tumors; Positron emission tomography/computed tomography;
doi: 10.36922/arnm.3540 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose; Hyperparathyroidism
Received: April 30, 2024
1st revised: June 14, 2024
2nd revised: June 23, 2024 1. Background
Accepted: June 27, 2024 Brown tumors represent a rare manifestation of hyperparathyroidism (HPT), a condition
Published online: January 16, characterized by excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH), leading to
2025 abnormalities in bone metabolism. Despite their non-neoplastic nature, these tumors can
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). inflict significant morbidity due to their deleterious effects on bone structure and function.
18
This is an Open-Access article Within the realm of diagnosing and detecting brown tumors, F-fluorodeoxyglucose
distributed under the terms of the positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( F-FDG PET/CT) assumes a
18
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, pivotal role. Through two clinical case reports, we highlight the role of this hybrid imaging
and reproduction in any medium, technique in detecting the morpho-metabolic aspect of brown tumors.
provided the original work is
properly cited. 2. Case presentation
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with 2.1. Case 1
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional A 40-year-old female, undergoing chronic hemodialysis for 6 years, had a history of
affiliations invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast with contralateral recurrence in 2013.

Volume 3 Issue 1 (2025) 97 doi: 10.36922/arnm.3540