Table 3. Characteristics of 18F-FDG PET/CT of included studies.
| Study (year) | Manufacturer | CT Scanner (detector rows, slice thickness) | Imaging evaluation | Injected dose | Number of reviewers | Diagnostic criteria of positive lymph node metastases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altini 2015 | GE | 16, 3.75 mm | QL | 4.6 MBq/kg# | a nuclear physician | Higher 18F-FDG uptake in at least one lymph node |
| Filik 2015 | GE | ND, 5 mm | QL | 8-10 mCi | ND | Higher 18F-FDG uptake than adjacent tissues and blood pool activity |
| Namikawa 2014 | GE | 14, 1.25 mm | QL | 3.5 MBq/kg | ND | 18F-FDG uptake similar to or higher than that of the liver |
| Park 2014 | GE | 8, 1.25 mm | QL | 7.4 MBq/kg | ND | 18F-FDG uptake similar to or higher than that of the blood pool |
| Youn 2012 | Siemens | ND, 5 mm | QL | ND | One nuclear physician | Higher 18F-FDG uptake than normal tissues |
| Ha 2011 | Siemens | ND, 5 mm | QL | 5-6 MBq/kg | ND | 18F-FDG uptake of lymph node bearing areas regardless of size |
| Kim 2011 | GE | ND, 4.3 mm | QL | 370 MBq | Two subspecialty-trained abdominal radiologists and one nuclear medicine physician (in consensus) | A focal 18F-FDG uptake was higher than the normal biodistribution of background FDG activity |
| Oh 2011 | Philips | ND, ND | QN | 7.4 MBq/kg | ND | P-SUV > 3.2 kBq/mL or higher 18F-FDG uptake in lymph nodes |
| Yang 2008 | GE | ND, ND | QL | 200 MBq | ND | Higher 18F-FDG uptake in at least one lymph node |
#MBq/kg meant that the injected dose of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose was based on the weight of patients who received PET/CT scanning. Abbreviations: CT: computed tomography; GE = American General Corporation; 18F-FDG = 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose; QL = qualitative analysis; QN = quantitative analysis; ND = not documented; P-SUV = peak-standardized uptake value.