FDG positron emission tomographic scintigraphy can reveal Castleman's disease as a cause of inflammation

Asymptomatic patients with increased inflammatory findings pose a challenge to the clinician. As in patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO), these patients frequently undergo Ga-67 scintigraphy to localize the inflammatory focus. Recently, F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has proved its clinical value in FUO. When FUO or inflammation is a result of large-vessel vasculitis, FDG-PET scintigraphy is clearly superior to Ga-67 scintigraphy. The authors report the abdominal localization by FDG-PET scan of Castleman's disease as a cause of inflammatory blood findings in an asymptomatic 33-year-old woman. Castleman's disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder with high interleukin-6 production and is possibly caused by human herpes virus type 8. Use of FDG-PET scanning should no longer be restricted to the work-up of neoplasms and should be included in cases of inflammatory conditions.