How Useful is PET/CT Imaging in the Management of Post‐Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease After Liver Transplantation?

Post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a serious and potentially life‐threatening complication after solid organ transplantation. Here, we report our first experience with the use of PET/CT (positron emission tomography combined with computed tomogram) for the management of patients with PTLD after liver transplantation. Four patients with histologically proven PTLD were analyzed. Conventional work‐up included physical examination and head‐to‐pelvis CT. PET/CT was used in one patient for initial staging and in all patients for follow‐up. PET/CT positive findings underwent biopsy. Information provided by PET/CT resulted in a change of medical management in three of the four patients. Conventional work‐up missed residual disease after surgery in one and failed to detect a tumor relapse in another patient. However, one patient disclosed a false positive PET/CT finding in the lungs. In conclusion, PET/CT may be a useful tool for staging and therapy monitoring of PTLD after liver transplantation. In four patients with PTLD investigated with PET/CT, this method provided new information that changed medical management in three of the four patients.