(18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Infected Polycystic Kidney Disease

A positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) study using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) was performed in a 54-year-old female with polycystic kidney disease, fever, and abdominal discomfort. Cyst's infection was suspected, but CT and U/S findings were not specific to accurately depict pyocysts and guide surgical treatment. In PET/CT, both kidneys are enlarged with multiple cysts and little remaining parenchyma. There is intense focal or ring-shaped FDG uptake in cysts in the upper and lower poles of the left kidney indicative of active infection. There is also increased FDG uptake in para-aortic lymph nodes bilaterally. Hepatic and right renal cysts do not present increased FDG uptake. As this case illustrates, FDG PET/CT can be helpful for the precise localization of cyst infections in patients with polycystic kidney disease considered for surgical treatment.