carbon-11-methionine and Hematoma

Carbon-11-L-methyl-methionine (11C-methionine) has been reported to be useful for evaluating brain tumors, but several other brain disorders have also shown signs of high methionine uptake. We retrospectively evaluated the significance of 11C-methionine uptake in cerebrovascular diseases, and also compared our results with those for 18F-FDG PET and 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT.. Seven patients, including 3 patients with a cerebral hematoma and 4 patients with a cerebral infarction, were examined. All 7 patients underwent both 11C-methionine PET and 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT, and 6 of them underwent 18F-FDG PET.. A high 11C-methionine uptake was observed in all 3 patients with cerebral hematoma. Increased 99mTc-HMPAO uptake was observed in 2 out of 3 patients, and all 3 patients had decreased 18F-FDG uptake. Of 4 patients with a cerebral infarction, high 11C-methionine uptake was observed in 3. Increased 99mTc-HMPAO uptake was also observed in one patient, whereas 3 patients had decreased 18F-FDG uptake.. We should keep in mind that high 11C-methionine uptake is frequently observed in cerebrovascular diseases. CVD should therefore be included in the differential diagnosis when encounting patients with a high 11C-methionine uptake.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Cerebral Infarction; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Hematoma; Humans; Male; Methionine; Middle Aged; Radiopharmaceuticals; Retrospective Studies; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tissue Distribution; Tomography, Emission-Computed; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon