Added value of combined 18F-FDG PET/CT for detection of osseous metastases in cancer patients

PurposeThe goal of the study was to illustrate the added value of combined 18F-FDG PET/CT over isolated CT for detection of osseous metastases in cancer patients.Patients and methodsThe study included 53 patients divided into five groups of primary malignancies. 18F-PET/CT scans were performed. In this study, a lesion based analysis was performed in detailed retrograde matter for a total of 386 detected osseous lesions on CT and fused images of 18F-PET/CT. Statistical analysis including specificity, Sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV) of each of these modalities was calculated. A final diagnosis of metastasis was confirmed by biopsy or by further clinical and radiologic workup.ResultsAccording to lesion based analysis, the 18F-PET/CT showed 100% sensitivity, 80.8% specificity, 98.6% PPV, 100% NPV and 98.7% accuracy compared with 93.9%, 34.6%, 95.2%, 29% and 89.9%, respectively, for CT. Significant improvement of the sensitivity and specificity was found in combined 18F-PET/CT than in CT alone.ConclusionCombined 18-F FDG PET/CT significantly improves the sensitivity and specificity of isolated CT for the detection of osseous metastases.