Diagnostic Pitfall of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT: Unifocal Nonbacterial Osteomyelitis Mimicking Bone Metastasis.

Authors

Mürsel Daşar, Aylin Akbulut, Koray Demirel, Gökhan Koca, Meliha Korkmaz

Published in

Journal of nuclear medicine technology. Aug 18, 2026. Epub Aug 18, 2026.

Abstract

Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) is a rare inflammatory bone disorder of unclear etiology that may present with unifocal or multifocal lesions. Because it can mimic malignancy on imaging, clinicoradiologic correlation and a multidisciplinary approach are essential. We report unifocal inflammatory osteitis compatible with CNO involving the sternum in a 56-y-old woman with a history of ductal carcinoma in situ. During surveillance, bone scintigraphy showed focal ^99mTc-methylene diphosphonate uptake and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT revealed a solitary ¹⁸F-FDG-avid sternal lesion. MRI findings were suggestive of osteomyelitis. Biopsy excluded malignancy, supporting a diagnosis of CNO. Follow-up MRI demonstrated regression. This case underscores that a solitary ¹⁸F-FDG-avid sternal lesion does not necessarily represent metastatic disease, and histopathologic confirmation may prevent unnecessary treatment escalation.

PMID:
42613158
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Aug 2026.

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