Incidental renal masses on SPECT/CT and PET/CT

Jorge D Oldan; Amir H Khandani

Incidental renal masses on SPECT/CT and PET/CT

Am J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 Jun 15;12(3):81-85. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jorge D Oldan¹, Amir H Khandani¹

Affiliation

¹ Division of Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics, UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Radiology Physicians Office Building #B114, 101 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA.

PMID: 35874298
PMCID: PMC9301087

Abstract

While the presence of incidental breast and lung masses on cardiac scans is well known, renal masses are often incidentally discovered as well on cardiac examinations, some of which are malignant. We searched the electronic medical record system over the past 18 years, since the system was installed, for patients with a cardiac rubidium-82 (⁸²Rb) rubidium PET/CT or technetium-99m (^99mTc) sestamibi SPECT/CT performed within 1 year of a renal-protocol CT or MR. Each PET/CT or SPECT/CT was examined for presence of a renal lesion on the attenuation-correction CT images. We found 43 SPECT/CT and 18 PET/CT studies which fit the desired criteria. Of these, 7 SPECT/CT studies and 2 PET/CT studies demonstrated the renal mass on at least one of the two sets of CT images (rest or stress); if not visible, most commonly the tumor was either out of the field of view or had already been removed. Of these, 6 SPECT/CT and 2 PET/CT studies demonstrated a malignancy. Cardiac SPECT/CT and PET/CT images demonstrate incidental renal masses with a non-negligible frequency, and CT images should be carefully examined.

Keywords: PET; PET/CT; SPECT; SPECT/CT; cardiac imaging; incidental findings; renal mass; rubidium; sestamibi.