FDG PET Unveils the Course of Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration

Abstract In paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD), the standard diagnostic workup might be inconclusive, especially in seronegative subtypes. Brain 18 F-FDG PET is an accurate supportive diagnostic tool in immune-mediated disorders, but findings in PCD are controversial. Semiquantitative analysis of 18 F-FDG PET can meaningfully assist visual assessment in different neurological conditions and has been mainly applied to disclose regional hypometabolism. We describe a seronegative PCD associated with small cell lung cancer in which 18 F-FDG PET semiquantitative analysis accurately disclosed the longitudinal pathological changes of brain metabolism occurring in the acute and posttreatment remission stages and paralleling clinical impairment and response to treatment.