American Journal of Neuroradiology 24:1164-1166, June-July 2003
© 2003 American Society of Neuroradiology
Case Report
HEAD AND NECK
Teflon-Induced Granuloma: A False-Positive Finding with PET Resolved with Combined PET and CT
a Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
b Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
c Department of Endocrinology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
d Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
e Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Address reprint requests to Carolyn Cidis Meltzer, M.D., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PET Facility, B-938, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA
Summary: Patients who have undergone thyroidectomy may have recurrent laryngeal nerve injury; until recently, Teflon injection was commonly used for vocal cord medialization. We present a case of a patient who underwent thyroidectomy who had significantly increased and unilateral 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the neck, which was found to be localized to the left vocal cord by use of combined positron emission tomography (PET) and CT, presumably because of a Teflon-induced granuloma. Knowledge of this potential source of false-positive PET interpretation because of its inability to precisely localize neoplastic lesions, and the use of combined PET and CT imaging, may allow precise diagnosis and prevention of unnecessary interventions.