Positron emission tomography imaging in the thorax

Postitron emission tomography (PET) is emerging as a powerful tool that complements conventional radiologic studies in the evaluation of a variety of thoracic abnormalities. PET is typically performed with the imaging agent FDG, a glucose analog, which exploits differences in glucose metabolism between normal and neoplastic cells, allowing accurate, noninvasive differentiation of benign from malignant abnormalities. This article focuses on the current applications of FDG-PET in the thorax and reviews the evaluation of focal pulmonary opacities, lung cancer staging, tumor recurrence, treatment response, and prognosis.