18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT in von Hippel-Lindau Disease-Associated Retinal Hemangioblastoma

Retinal hemangioblastomas are highly vascular benign tumors that can be encountered either sporadically or within the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome. We report a case of a VHL patient with retinal hemangioblastoma who underwent PET/CT scans using F-FDG and Ga-DOTATATE. The tumor showed low-level F-FDG and increased Ga-DOTATATE activity, suggesting cell-surface overexpression of somatostatin receptors. The presented case indicates the clinical applications of somatostatin receptor imaging with Ga-DOTA-conjugated peptides in detection and follow-up of VHL manifestations, screening of asymptomatic gene carriers, and in diagnosis of sporadic retinal hemangioblastomas, which may have similar features on MRI with other retinal tumors.