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Histoplasmosis other imaging findings

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Serge Korjian M.D., Aravind Kuchkuntla, M.B.B.S[2]

Overview

Overview

Thoracic PET CT scans may be inadvertently used in certain cases of histoplasmosis due to the close resemblance to lung cancer. However, they have poor specificity to differentiate histoplasmosis and lung adenocarcinoma.

Other Imaging Findings

Other Imaging Findings

PET Scan

  • Although PET-CT scans are not indicated for histoplasmosis, they may often be ordered to rule out malignancy.[1]
  • PET scans have poor specificity to differentiate histoplasmosis and lung adenocarcinoma.
  • Although histoplasmosis may cause calcified nodules, many nodules never calcify, or calcify partially and PET scans demonstrate increased uptake in these lesions.[2]
References

References

  1. Muller N, Kessler R, Caillard S, Epailly E, Hubelé F, Heimburger C; et al. (2017). “(18)F-FDG PET/CT for the Diagnosis of Malignant and Infectious Complications After Solid Organ Transplantation”. Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 51 (1): 58–68. doi:10.1007/s13139-016-0461-6. PMC 5313469. PMID 28250859.
  2. Kenneth S. Knox and Chadi A. Hage “Histoplasmosis”, Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society, Vol. 7, No. 3 (2010), pp. 169-172.

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