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Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Associated Pitfalls on 18F-FDG PET/CT: Reactive Follicular Hyperplasia, Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease, Inflammation and Lymphoid Hyperplasia of the Spleen Mimicking Lymphoma

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Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with a variety of inflammatory processes that can affect the lymph nodes, brain, kidneys, and spleen. We present two patients with SLE in whom SLE-associated conditions complicated interpretation of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging of the lymph nodes and the spleen. The imaging findings mimicked lymphoma, but histopathological evaluation showed benign processes including reactive follicular hyperplasia in the lymph nodes, Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease in perisplenic lymph nodes, and inflammatory changes and lymphoid hyperplasia in the spleen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Imaging, CCI, 11560 University Ave NW, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2, Canada

    William Makis

  2. Nuclear Medicine, MUHC Glen Site, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada

    Anthony Ciarallo

  3. Pathology, MUHC Glen Site, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada

    Milene Gonzalez-Verdecia

  4. Nuclear Medicine, MUHC Jewish General Hospital, 3755 Chemin de la Cote-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E2, Canada

    Stephan Probst

Authors
  1. William Makis
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  2. Anthony Ciarallo
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  3. Milene Gonzalez-Verdecia
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  4. Stephan Probst
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Correspondence to William Makis.

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Conflict of interest

William Makis, Anthony Ciarallo, Milene Gonzalez-Verdecia and Stephan Probst declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical statement

The study was approved by an institutional review board or equivalent and has been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. All subjects in the study gave written informed consent or the institutional review board waived the need to obtain informed consent.

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Makis, W., Ciarallo, A., Gonzalez-Verdecia, M. et al. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Associated Pitfalls on 18F-FDG PET/CT: Reactive Follicular Hyperplasia, Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease, Inflammation and Lymphoid Hyperplasia of the Spleen Mimicking Lymphoma. Nucl Med Mol Imaging 52, 74–79 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-017-0471-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-017-0471-z

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