Journals / Güncel Tıbbi Araştırmaları Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 6 Sayı: 1

Vertebral Hemangiomas Mimicking Metastases on Gallium-68 DOTATATE PET/CT: A Case of Gastric Neuroendocrine Tumor

Galyum-68 DOTATATE PET/BT’de Metastazı Taklit Eden Vertebral Hemanjiomlar: Gastrik Nöroendokrin Tümörlü Bir Olgu

Amine İrem Ağartıoğlu(IZMIR KATIP CELEBI UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE)0009-0007-9628-0607
Kadir Alper Küçüker(IZMIR KATIP CELEBI UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE)0000-0003-2535-7498
Ayşegül Aksu(IZMIR KATIP CELEBI UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE)0000-0002-6239-0660
Arif Atay(IZMIR KATIP CELEBI UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF SURGICAL MEDICAL SCIENCES, DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SURGERY, GASTROENTEROLOGY SURGERY (MEDICINE))0000-0001-8163-2357
Bulent Turgut(IZMIR KATIP CELEBI UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE)0000-0003-4861-5074
Pages
13–18
Publication Date
2026-04-29
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

This case underscores the importance of correlating PET/CT findings with morphological imaging and considering vertebral hemangiomas in the differential diagnosis of bone uptake on Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:While the diagnostic efficacy of Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT for staging neuroendocrine tumors is well established, radiotracer accumulation in benign tissues may lead to false-positive findings and potential diagnostic pitfalls.
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Key Findings & Data:We report a 77-year-old male with a gastric neuroendocrine tumor who showed focal Ga-68 DOTATATE uptake in the cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
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Conclusion & Impact:This case underscores the importance of correlating PET/CT findings with morphological imaging and considering vertebral hemangiomas in the differential diagnosis of bone uptake on Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT.
🔬Design:Olgu Sunumu
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Nöroendokrin tümör · Ga-68 DOTATATE PET · Vertebral hemanjiom

Abstract

While the diagnostic efficacy of Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT for staging neuroendocrine tumors is well established, radiotracer accumulation in benign tissues may lead to false-positive findings and potential diagnostic pitfalls. Vertebral hemangiomas represent a rare but clinically important cause of such false-positive uptake. We report a 77-year-old male with a gastric neuroendocrine tumor who showed focal Ga-68 DOTATATE uptake in the cervical and thoracic vertebrae. Correlation with prior computed tomography (CT) demonstrated that these lesions were benign vertebral hemangiomas, indicating false-positive uptake. This case underscores the importance of correlating PET/CT findings with morphological imaging and considering vertebral hemangiomas in the differential diagnosis of bone uptake on Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT.

Özet

Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/BT, nöroendokrin tümörlerin (NET) evrelemesinde yüksek duyarlılığa sahip bir yöntemdir; ancak benign dokularda somatostatin reseptör ekspresyonu yanlış pozitif bulgulara ve tanısal tuzaklara yol açabilmektedir. Vertebral hemanjiomlar bu durumun nadir ancak klinik açıdan önemli nedenlerinden biridir. Bu yazıda, gastrik nöroendokrin tümör tanılı 77 yaşında bir erkek hastada servikal ve torakal vertebralarda izlenen fokal Ga-68 DOTATATE tutulumları sunulmaktadır. Önceden yapılmış bilgisayarlı tomografi (BT) ile korelasyon, bu lezyonların benign vertebral hemanjiomlar olduğunu ve tutulumun yanlış pozitif olduğunu göstermiştir. Bu olgu, Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/BT’de kemik tutulumlarının yorumlanmasında morfolojik görüntüleme yöntemleriyle korelasyonun önemini ve vertebral hemanjiomların ayırıcı tanıda mutlaka göz önünde bulundurulması gerektiğini vurgulamaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Ağartıoğlu, A. İ., Küçüker, K. A., Aksu, A., Atay, A., Turgut, B. (2026). Vertebral Hemangiomas Mimicking Metastases on Gallium-68 DOTATATE PET/CT: A Case of Gastric Neuroendocrine Tumor. Güncel Tıbbi Araştırmaları Dergisi, Cilt: 6 Sayı: 1, 13–18. https://doi.org/10.52818/cjmr.1870942

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