COVID-19 Vaccination Manifesting as Incidental Lymph Nodal Uptake on 18F-FDG PET/CT

Clin Nucl Med. 2021 May 1;46(5):435-436. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000003635.

Abstract

Benign uptake on 18F-FDG PET can be seen with inflammatory conditions. We report a case of an 86-year-old woman with successfully treated nasal melanoma who underwent routine follow-up 18F-FDG PET, day 6 after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine inoculated in the left deltoid muscle. 18F-FDG PET showed increase tracer uptake in the left deltoid muscle and in 2 normal-sized left subpectoral nodes. These findings were considered secondary to vaccination. With the current drive of global COVID-19 immunization, this case highlights the importance of documenting vaccination history at the time of scanning to avoid false-positive results.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Biological Transport
  • COVID-19 Vaccines / adverse effects*
  • COVID-19 Vaccines / immunology
  • COVID-19 Vaccines / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
  • Humans
  • Lymph Nodes / diagnostic imaging
  • Lymph Nodes / immunology*
  • Lymph Nodes / metabolism*
  • Melanoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Melanoma / immunology
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography*
  • Vaccination*

Substances

  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18