Fusion Imaging of 18F-FDG PET and MRI Identified an Inflammatory Esophageal Diverticulum in a Patient with Radioiodine-Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
A radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer patient with rising serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels underwent <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT scan, which showed a hypermetabolic region in the proximal segment of esophagus, leading to ambiguity in diagnosis. MRI was immediately added, and PET/MRI fusion image localized an air-containing lesion interlinked with esophagus with enhanced T2 hyperintense mucosal signal, indicating an inflammatory esophageal diverticulum, which was subsequently verified by endoscopy. This case highlights the added value of PET/MRI image fusion in cases with inconclusive <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT findings, requiring no additional tests and utilizing existing software, thereby minimizing the need for invasive procedures.
Authors
- Xusen Yang
- Libo Chen
- Jiahuan Yang
- Peng Zhong
- Jiamiao Yang
Institutions
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Diagnostics
- Published
- 2026-01-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16020188
- Primary Topic
- Esophageal Cancer Research and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China