Table 1. Patient baseline, 18F-DOPA PET acquisition characteristics, regional cardiac 18F-DOPA uptake, and clinical indications for 18F-DOPA PET imaging.
| Baseline characteristics | Total n = 133 | Womenn = 69 | Menn = 64 | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean±SD | 52.4±17.7 | 52.9±19.2 | 52.0±16.1 | 0.8 |
| BMI, mean±SD | 22.7±6.8 | 20.4±5.4 | 25.2±7.2 | <0.001 |
| 18F-DOPA positive scan, n(%) | 67(50.4) | 31(44.9) | 36(56.3) | 0.2 |
| Injected 18F-DOPA dose (MBq), mean±SD | 202.8±36.7 | 204.4±40.1 | 201.2±32.9 | 0.6 |
| Reason for referral, n(%) | 0.3 | |||
| Clinical suspicion of carcinoid | 5(3.8) | 2(2.9) | 3(4.7) | |
| Clinical suspicion of pheochromocytoma | 13(9.8) | 8(11.6) | 5(7.9) | |
| Clinical suspicion of extra-adrenal paraganglioma | 13(9.8) | 6(8.7) | 7(11.1) | |
| Treatment control carcinoid | 10(7.5) | 7(10.1) | 3(4.7) | |
| Treatment control thyroid carcinoma | 18(13.5) | 9(13.0) | 9(14.3) | |
| Treatment control pheochromocytoma | 13(9.8) | 5(7.2) | 8(12.7) | |
| Treatment control extra-adrenal paraganglioma | 47(35.3) | 26(37.7) | 21(33.3) | |
| Carcinoma of unknown primary origin | 2(1.5) | 1(1.4) | 1(1.5) | |
| Ectopic ACTH production | 2(1.5) | 0(0) | 2(3.2) | |
| Suspicious mass | 10(7.5) | 6(8.7) | 4(6.3) | |
| Medical treatment | ||||
| Antiadrenergic compounds | 26(19.5) | 17(24.6) | 9(14.1) | 0.12 |
| Immunosuppressive/antiinflammatory agents | 13(9.8) | 7(10.1) | 6(9.4) | 0.88 |
| Somatostatin analogues | 16(12) | 8(11.6) | 8(12.5) | 0.87 |
| Thyroid hormone receptor agonists | 18(13.5) | 10(14.5) | 8(12.5) | 0.74 |
| Total myocardial 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmax-N), mean±SD | 1.26±0.24 | 1.33±0.21 | 1.18±0.24 | <0.001 |
| Total myocardial 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmean-N), mean±SD | 0.86±0.17 | 0.94±0.15 | 0.78±0.14 | <0.001 |
| Total LV 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmax-N), mean±SD | 1.31±0.26 | 1.39±0.24 | 1.23±0.26 | <0.001 |
| Total LV 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmean-N), mean±SD | 0.90±0.18 | 0.98±0.17 | 0.80±0.15 | <0.001 |
| LV-mid-ventricular 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmax-N), mean±SD | 1.32±0.25 | 1.39±0.24 | 1.25±0.25 | <0.001 |
| LV-mid-ventricular 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmean-N), mean±SD | 0.91±0.17 | 0.99±0.15 | 0.83±0.14 | 0.001 |
| RV 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmax-N), mean±SD | 1.09±0.21 | 1.14±0.20 | 1.02±0.20 | 0.001 |
| RV 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmean-N), mean±SD | 0.77±0.16 | 0.82±0.12 | 0.71±0.17 | <0.001 |
| LV-apical 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmax-N), mean±SD | 1.28±0.28 | 1.30±0.24 | 1.13±0.25 | <0.001 |
| LV-apical 18F-DOPA uptake (SUVmean-N), mean±SD | 0.88±0.19 | 0.94±0.18 | 0.75±0.16 | <0.001 |
NET, neuroendocrine tumor; ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone; SUVmax-N, upper limit of the standardized uptake value normalized to blood pool; SUVmean-N, averaged standardized uptake value normalized to blood pool; RV right ventricular; LV, left ventricular. Values are indicated as mean±standard deviation (SD) or n(%). P-values are indicated for women vs men.