Incidental renal abnormalities on 18F-FDG PET/CT in oncologic patients: prevalence and reporting practices
BMC MEDICAL IMAGING, cilt.2026, sa.1, ss.1-17, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 2026 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1186/s12880-026-02859-2
- Dergi Adı: BMC MEDICAL IMAGING
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Scopus, Technology Collection (ProQuest), Aerospace Database, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-17
- Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Purpose Incidental renal abnormalities may be encountered during oncologic 18F-FDG PET/CT interpretation,
but their prevalence and imaging spectrum remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to determine the
patient-level prevalence, morphological distribution, prior documentation status, and original-report documentation
of renal abnormalities identified on oncologic 18F-FDG PET/CT.
Methods In this retrospective observational study, 283 consecutive adult patients who underwent oncologic 18FFDG
PET/CT between March and April 2023 were included. PET and non-contrast CT images were systematically
reviewed for cortical and pelvicalyceal abnormalities. Among patients with at least one renal abnormality,
available pre-index institutional records were reviewed to classify findings as previously documented, mixed, or
incidentally identified. Original clinical PET/CT reports were also reviewed for all patients, and renal abnormalities
identified on standardized retrospective review were compared with abnormalities documented in the original
reports.
Results At least one cortical or pelvicalyceal renal abnormality was identified in 192 of 283 patients (67.8%; 95%
CI, 62.2–73.0). Cortical abnormalities were present in 123 patients (43.5%; 95% CI, 37.8–49.3), most commonly
large cortical cysts (22.3%), whereas pelvicalyceal abnormalities were identified in 129 patients (45.6%; 95% CI,
39.9–51.4). Among the 192 patients with renal abnormalities, findings were entirely previously documented in 20
(10.4%), mixed in 31 (16.1%), and entirely incidentally identified in 141 (73.4%); overall, 172 patients (89.6%)
had at least one incidentally identified renal abnormality. Among the 192 patients with renal abnormalities on
standardized review, 58 (30.2%) had at least one renal abnormality documented in the original PET/CT report,
whereas 134 (69.8%) had no renal abnormality documented.
Conclusion Renal abnormalities were identified in substantially more patients on systematic review than were
documented in the original clinical PET/CT reports. Most affected patients also had at least one renal abnormality
that had not been previously documented in available institutional records. These findings suggest substantial
under-reporting of incidental renal abnormalities in oncologic 18F-FDG PET/CT. Further studies should determine
whether more systematic recognition and reporting of these findings influence diagnostic evaluation, clinical
decision-making, and patient management.