Diagnosing neuroleukemiosis: Is there a role for 18F-FDG-PET/CT?

Abstract

An imaging case is presented on a patient referred to our department for an ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT, as a paraneoplastic syndrome was suspected due to his clinical situation. He had a history of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated two years earlier, with sustained complete remission to date. ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT findings revealed hypermetabolism in almost all nerve roots, suggesting meningeal spread, consistent with the subsequent MRI findings. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings confirmed a leptomeningeal reactivation of AML. Although not many studies have evaluated the role of ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT in leukemia, it is a noninvasive tool for detecting extramedullary sites of disease and a good imaging alternative for those patients on whom an MRI cannot be performed.

Keywords: Acute myeloid leukemia; FDG; Leucemia mieloide aguda; Meningeal relapse; Neuroleucemiosis; Neuroleukemiosis; PET/CT; PET/TC; Recidiva meníngea.