False-positive uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the hilar region and mediastinum

W E REPORT A CASE of a 68-year-old man who was admitted for a comprehensive health examination (smoking history of over 40 packs per year, with atrial fibrillation and without other systemic disease). The whole-body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) study showed significant FDG uptake bilaterally in the hila (Figs 1 and 2). However, the subsequent chest computed tomographic findings (Fig 3), mediastinoscopic pathologic results, and other examinations (including tuberculosis) were negative. In a review of previous publications, the false-positive and/or benign causes of FDG uptake in the mediastinum/hila in a whole-body FDG-PET scan are shown in the following section.