¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT as an indicator for resection of pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma

A 60-year-old man with a 7-year history of multiple pulmonary nodules presented to our hospital because the nodules were seen to have increased in size on review of films on a regular medical checkup 1 week earlier. Computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple pulmonary nodules with calcification in the lungs. The largest nodule measuring 2.5 cm in the maximum dimension was lobulated and ill-defined. The patient underwent ¹⁸F- fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT) to evaluate the multiple nodules and to search for a primary lesion. ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT revealed increased uptake in only two nodules with a standardized uptake value of 4.61 and 2.10, respectively. The two foci with increased ¹⁸F-FDG uptake were resected and pathologically proven to be pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (PEH). PEH can transform into malignancy with metastasis. An ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT finding may be an indicator to decide on PEH resection.