Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of Cerenkov luminescence (CL) imaging of patients undergoing diagnostic (18)F-FDG scans to detect nodal disease. METHODS: Patients undergoing routine (18)F-FDG PET/CT for various malignancies consented to being scanned for CL. White-light and Cerenkov images (5-min acquisition) of the surface of the patient contralateral to and at the site of nodal (18)F-FDG uptake were acquired using a cooled, intensified charge-coupled-device camera. RESULTS: The camera demonstrated linear correlation between activity and counts into the low nanocurie range using (18)F-FDG. Imaging of patients revealed the presence of (18)F-FDG uptake in nodes that demonstrated uptake on PET. A correlation between maximum standardized uptake value from PET and counting rate per area on the CL imaging was established. CONCLUSION: CL imaging with diagnostic doses of (18)F-FDG is feasible and can aid in detecting disease in the clinical setting.