PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Pirotte, Benoit
AU  - Goldman, Serge
AU  - Massager, Nicolas
AU  - David, Philippe
AU  - Wikler, David
AU  - Vandesteene, Arlette
AU  - Salmon, Isabelle
AU  - Brotchi, Jacques
AU  - Levivier, Marc
TI  - Comparison of <sup>18</sup>F-FDG and <sup>11</sup>C-Methionine for PET-Guided Stereotactic Brain Biopsy of Gliomas
DP  - 2004 Aug 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 1293--1298
VI  - 45
IP  - 8
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/45/8/1293.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/45/8/1293.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2004 Aug 01; 45
AB  - We compared the contributions of the labeled tracers 11C-methionine (Met) and 18F-FDG for PET-guided stereotactic biopsy of brain gliomas. Methods: In 32 patients with glioma, stereotactic Met PET and 18F-FDG PET were integrated in the planning of stereotactic brain biopsy. PET images were analyzed to determine which tracer offered the best information for target definition. The stereotactic coregistration of PET images allowed accurate comparison of the level, distribution, and extent of uptake for both tracers according to tumor location and grade. Results: A histologic diagnosis was obtained for all patients. All gliomas had an area of abnormal Met uptake, and 27 showed abnormal 18F-FDG uptake. 18F-FDG was used for target selection when its uptake was higher in tumor than in gray matter (14 gliomas). Seven were in the basal ganglia or brain stem. Met was used for target selection when there was no 18F-FDG uptake or when 18F-FDG uptake was equivalent to that in the gray matter (18 gliomas). Thirteen were in the cortex. Sixty-one of the 70 stereotactic trajectories obtained from the 32 patients were based on PET-defined targets and had an area of abnormal Met uptake. These 61 Met-positive trajectories always yielded a diagnosis of tumor. All nondiagnostic trajectories (n = 9) were obtained in areas with no increased uptake of Met. In all patients with increased uptake of both tracers, the focus of highest Met uptake corresponded to the focus of highest 18F-FDG uptake. However, the extent of uptake of both tracers was variable. Conclusion: Distributions of highest Met and 18F-FDG uptake are similar in brain gliomas. Because Met provides a more sensitive signal, it is the molecule of choice for single-tracer PET-guided neurosurgical procedures in gliomas.