FDG PET imaging in the evaluation of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder following renal transplantation

Objectives To assess the usefulness of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) in the evaluation of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) following renal transplantation. Methods Staging FDG PET examinations were reviewed in five patients with biopsy proven post-renal allograft PTLD and compared with conventional imaging. Follow-up PET examinations of three patients at various points during their therapy for PTLD were also reviewed and compared with clinical outcome. Results PET imaging identified all disease sites seen at cross-sectional imaging, clarified sites of uncertain significance and detected additional disease in two out of five patients. Early follow-up imaging impacted PTLD management in two of three patients. Conclusion In this limited series FDG PET was an effective imaging modality in the staging and follow-up of PTLD. Nucl Med Commun 26:1107-1111 (c) 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.