Spilled gallstone mimicking metastasis from cervix cancer on positron emission tomography–computed tomography

摘要

BACKGROUND Spilled gallstones from previous cholecystectomy is not an uncommon situation.It may further mimic neoplastic disease and can be misled by fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose position emission tomography with computed tomography([18F]FDG PET/CT).CASE SUMMARY A 63 year-old patient was diagnosed with a cancer of the cervix.Pretreatment[18F]FDG PET/CT showed a peritoneal lesion suspicious for metastasis.Surgical exploration and histologic examination revealed the lesion to be a spilled gallstone from a previous cholecystectomy.CONCLUSION[18F]FDG PET/CT carries pitfalls since benign conditions such as intraperitoneal gallstones may be confused as malignant lesions.This case highlights the importance to be aware of the possible implications of dropped gallstones for the future,minimize its occurrence,and make all efforts to properly evaluate cancer staging,particularly for the cervix cancer.