Iranian Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Iranian Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Incidental [¹⁸F]Florbetapir uptake in a left frontal calvarial lesion, radiologically suggestive of hemangioma on amyloid PET-CT scan

Articles in Press

Document Type : Case Report

Authors
Sarvenaz Mirzakhani
Nasim Vahidfar
Shaghayegh Nourbakhsh
Raziyeh Taatzadeh
Fatemeh Saboktakin
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Imam Khomeini Complex Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/irjnm.2026.130560.1769
Abstract
[¹⁸F]Florbetapir PET-CT is widely used for in vivo assessment of cerebral β-amyloid deposition in patients with cognitive impairment and suspected Alzheimer’s disease. Although interpretation mainly focuses on cortical tracer retention, incidental extracerebral uptake may occasionally be encountered. We report a 66-year-old woman with a seven-year history of progressive impairment of both recent and remote memory and clinically established Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid PET-CT imaging demonstrated diffuse cortical [¹⁸F]Florbetapir uptake with loss of normal gray–white matter contrast, consistent with cerebral β-amyloid deposition. In addition, focal increased tracer uptake was incidentally detected in the left frontal bone, with an SUVmax of 3.2. The uptake corresponded to a benign-appearing intradiploic calvarial lesion radiologically suggestive of hemangioma. Comparison with prior imaging performed more than one year earlier demonstrated stability of the lesion, with no aggressive imaging features. No specific intervention was considered clinically necessary. This case highlights incidental [¹⁸F]Florbetapir uptake in a benign-appearing calvarial lesion radiologically suggestive of hemangioma. Awareness of this uncommon extracerebral uptake pattern as a potential interpretive pitfall, together with careful correlation with anatomical and prior imaging, may help avoid misinterpretation and unnecessary additional diagnostic evaluation.
Keywords
[¹⁸F]Florbetapir
Amyloid PET-CT
Calvarial lesion
Intraosseous hemangioma
Incidental finding
Subjects
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Iranian Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 05 October 2026