Superior performance of 18F-fluorocholine digital PET/CT in the detection of parathyroid adenomas

Objective To compare detectability of hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue (HPT) by digital and analog 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and negative/inconclusive 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy-SPECT/CT. Materials and methods Thirty-three patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and negative/inconclusive 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy-SPECT/CT were prospectively included. All patients accepted to be scanned by digital and analog PET/CT in the same imaging session after a single injection of 18F-fluorocholine. Three nuclear medicine physicians evaluated the digital and analog PET/CT datasets to assess the detection rate of HPT. Maximum standard uptake values (SUVmax) of HPT and locoregional lymph nodes were measured in both systems. Results HPT was detected in 30/33 patients by the digital system, whereas it was detected in 22/33 patients by the analog system ( p