(18)F-Fluorocholine PET/CT Compared with Current Imaging Procedures for Preoperative Localization of Hyperfunctioning Parathyroids in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Hyperparathyroidism (HPT) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) includes secondary (sHPT) and tertiary hyperparathyroidism (tHPT). Considering that the role of preoperative imaging in the clinical setting is controversial, in the present study we have retrospectively compared pre-surgical diagnostic performances of (18)F-Fluorocholine ((18)F-FCH) PET/CT, cervical ultrasonography (US), parathyroid scintigraphy, and 4D-CT in a group of 30 patients with CKD and HPT (18/12 sHPT/tHPT), 21 CKD G5 including 18 in dialysis, and 9 kidney transplant recipients. All patients underwent (18)F-FCH, and 22 had cervical US, 12 had parathyroid scintigraphy, and 11 had 4D-CT. Histopathology was the gold standard. Seventy-four parathyroids were removed: 65 hyperplasia, 6 adenomas, and 3 normal glands. In the whole population, in a per gland analysis, (18)F-FCH PET/CT was significantly more sensitive and accurate (72%, 71%) than neck US (25%, 43%), parathyroid scintigraphy (35%, 47%), and 4D-CT (40%, 47%). The specificity of (18)F-FCH PET/CT (69%) was lower than that of neck US (95%) and parathyroid scintigraphy (90%), without, however, achieving significance. (18)F-FCH PET/CT was more accurate than all other diagnostic techniques when sHPT and tHPT patients were considered separately. (18)F-FCH PET/CT sensitivity was significantly higher in tHPT (88%) than in sHPT (66%). Three ectopic hyperfunctioning glands (in three different patients) were all detected by (18)F-FCH PET/CT, two by parathyroid scintigraphy, and none by cervical US and 4D-CT. Our study confirms that (18)F-FCH PET/CT is an effective preoperative imaging option in patients with CKD and HPT. These findings may be of greater importance in patients with tHPT (who could benefit from minimally invasive parathyroidectomy) than in patients with sHPT, who often undergo bilateral cervicotomy. In these cases, preoperative (18)F-FCH PET/CT may be helpful in locating ectopic glands and may guide the surgical choice for gland preservation.