Uncommon Concurrent Retinal and Cerebral Metastasis in High-risk Neuroblastoma: Diagnostic Utility of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT Despite Negative 18F-FDG PET/CT.
Siqi Li, Meng Liu, Bingyan Zhang et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A 5-year-old girl with high-risk neuroblastoma presented for surveillance with an 18F-FDG PET/CT, which showed two metabolically silent lesions in the right retina and brain. A subsequent 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT revealed significant radiotracer uptake in both lesions, indicating somatostatin receptor expression. Despite diagnosis, the patient experienced progressive disease and passed away two months later.
What made this case unusual
The case highlights the diagnostic utility of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT in identifying lesions that were not visible on 18F-FDG PET/CT, demonstrating a unique imaging characteristic in neuroblastoma metastasis.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Clinicians should consider 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT for detecting neuroblastoma metastases, especially when 18F-FDG PET/CT results are inconclusive.
Why it matters
This case underscores the importance of using multiple imaging modalities to improve diagnostic accuracy in high-risk neuroblastoma patients.