Intense (18)F-Flourodeoxyglucose Uptake in Brachial Plexus of Patients with Brachial Plexopathy

Brachial plexopathy is a significant cause of pain and disability in patients with breast cancer. Major causes of brachial plexopathy in patients with breast cancer are metastatic invasion or radiation damage to the plexus. Differentiation between the two pathologies is important for appropriate treatment planning. The complicated anatomy of the plexus makes this a difficult area to image accurately. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the imaging modality of choice for diagnostic evaluation of these cases. We presented a case to demonstrate the role of (18)F-flourodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computerized tomography for confirming metastatic brachial plexopathy when MRI findings were suspicious and for differentiating radiation-induced brachial plexopathy from metastatic plexopathy.