
THYROID NODULES INCIDENTALLY DIAGNOSED ON PET SCAN Occasionally, incidental thyroid nodules (ITN) may be detected in patients undergoing PET scan for other indications (typically with previous malignant disease, during the follow-up). Among these group of patients ITN will be detected in 1 – 3 % of them. It should be noted that the rate of malignancy in patients with ITN detected on PET scans is markedly higher than that in patients with ITN detected on CT scans or MRI. Although the resolution for nodules on PET scan is lower than that of CT and/or MRI, the radiotracer used for PET is specific for metabolically active tissue, leading to a higher rate of malignancy within detected abnormalities. This may be due – at least in part – to the characteristics of this patient population since many of them have a current or prior non-thyroid malignancy and are more likely –compared to the general population – to have been exposed to radiation therapy. It is important to note that t...