Aortic Dissection Incidentally Detected on PET/CT During Evaluation for Suspected Multiple Myeloma.
Jie Han, Lianna Zhang, Fang Yang
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
During evaluation of suspected multiple myeloma, a patient underwent PET/CT that incidentally showed an FDG-avid lesion in the thoracic region. It was initially interpreted as a possible esophageal mass, with extramedullary plasmacytoma and primary esophageal neoplasm among the differential diagnoses. Further assessment identified the finding as a thoracic aortic dissection. The abstract does not report the subsequent management or clinical outcome.
What made this case unusual
The dissection appeared as an FDG-avid lesion that mimicked an esophageal mass on PET/CT performed for an unrelated diagnostic question.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
On PET/CT, an FDG-avid thoracic finding should not automatically be attributed to malignancy; consider aortic dissection, particularly when the study is performed without contrast.