BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although carcinoid tumors usually have good prognosis, early and specific diagnosis is important. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging do not provide findings that are specific for carcinoids, and somatostatin receptor scintigraphy suffers from low spatial resolution. 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) has limited sensitivity for carcinoids due to low uptake of the marker. A PET/CT system that uses the somatostatin receptor-based PET tracer 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N(I),N(II),N(III),N(IIII)-tetraacetic acid (D)-Phe(1)-thy(3)-octreotide ((68)Ga-DOTATOC) has also been used in the evaluation of carcinoids, although information regarding its use for the detection of primary pulmonary carcinoids is limited. Thus, we investigated the value of (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT for the diagnosis of primary pulmonary carcinoid tumors. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of patients with primary pulmonary tumors who underwent (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT. All the patients had a histopathologic diagnosis of carcinoid. The rate of detection of primary pulmonary carcinoid tumors using (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT was assessed. RESULTS: Twenty patients were diagnosed as having carcinoid, and 19 tumors showed significant uptake on (68)Ga-DOTATOC (detection rate, 95%). The maximal standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) ranged from 1.1 to 66, with a median value of 21.6. In one patient, (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT revealed additional lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT is useful in the evaluation of primary pulmonary carcinoids and should be included in the diagnostic work-up of these patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Carcinoid Tumor/*diagnosis/radiography/radionuclide imaging ; Female ; Gallium Radioisotopes/*diagnostic use ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*diagnosis/radiography/radionuclide imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Octreotide/*analogs & derivatives/diagnostic use ; Positron-Emission Tomography/*methods ; Radiopharmaceuticals/*diagnostic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/*methods

Lung resection following pneumonectomy for recurrent lung cancer is a challenging scenario. Peri-operative airway management and choice of surgical procedure are issues to be addressed by both the anesthesiologists and thoracic surgeons. We hereby report a case of anterior segmentectomy of the right upper for recurrent lung cancer, in a patient who had previously underwent pneumonectomy for primary lung cancer one year earlier. A modified conventional tracheal intubation and unique surgical techniques were applied for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) anterior segmentectomy of the right upper lobe in a patient with a notable mediastinal shift (following contralateral pneumonectomy), resulting in a good recovery and clinical outcome. The clinical experience is summarized in detail in this article.