Abstract:

Objective To investigate the value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT whole body scan in the diagnosis of small bowel tumors. Methods The clinical data of 24 patients who had undergone ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT whole body scan and were highly suspected with small bowel tumors were retrospectively analysed, and comparison analysis was conducted between results of PET/CT examinations and findings of double-balloon small bowel endoscopy, biopsy and surgical pathology. Results The data of 2 patients with extra-intestinal malignant tumors confirmed by pathology were excluded. Among the 22 patients with small bowel tumors, 16 patients were diagnosed as small bowel malignant tumors by ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT whole body scan (17 small bowel malignant tumor lesions and 27 involved lymph nodes), 4 patients were diagnosed as small bowel benign tumors and benign lesions, 1 patient with intestinal tuberculosis had false positive PET/CT findings, and 1 patient with small intestinal signet ring cell carcinoma had false negative PET/CT findings. The sensitivity and specificity of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosis of small bowel malignant tumors were 94.12% and 80.00% respectively, and the positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy in diagnosis were 94.12%, 80.00% and 90.91% respectively. Conclusion ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT whole body scan is a feasible, safe, noninvasive and promising diagnostic tool for detecting small bowel malignancies, differentiating benign and malignant tumors, staging and guiding clinical treatment.

Key words: small bowel tumors, positron emission tomography, computed tomography, X-ray computed, diagnosis