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Extramedullary Hematopoiesis Visualized on FDG-PET/CT in a Patient with Beta-Thalassemia

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Abstract

Beta-thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder caused by reduced or absent synthesis of the beta chains of hemoglobin, resulting in decreased hemoglobin production. Symptoms depend on the type of beta-thalassemia ranging from no symptoms to severe illness. Ineffective erythropoiesis leads to a sequence of events responsible for bone marrow expansion, anemia, hemolysis, splenomegaly, increased iron absorption, and sometimes extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH). We report an interesting case with EMH visualized on FDG-PET/CT and where FDG-PET/CT has also found the focus of a severe infection in a patient with beta-thalassemia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

    Sara E. Dahlsgaard-Wallenius, Anne Lerberg Nielsen & Malene Grubbe Hildebrandt

  2. Department of Hematology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

    Karen Juul-Jensen

  3. Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Malene Grubbe Hildebrandt

  4. Centre for Innovative Medical Technology (CIMT), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

    Malene Grubbe Hildebrandt

Authors
  1. Sara E. Dahlsgaard-Wallenius
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  2. Karen Juul-Jensen
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  3. Anne Lerberg Nielsen
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  4. Malene Grubbe Hildebrandt
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Contributions

The study was designed by Sara E. Dahlsgaard-Wallenius. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Sara E. Dahlsgaard-Wallenius, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sara E. Dahlsgaard-Wallenius.

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Conflict of interest

Sara E. Dahlsgaard-Wallenius, Karen Juul-Jensen, Anne Lerberg Nielsen, and Malene Grubbe Hildebrandt declare that they have no competing interests.

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Written and signed informed consent was obtained from the patient.

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Written and signed informed consent was obtained from the patient.

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Dahlsgaard-Wallenius, S.E., Juul-Jensen, K., Nielsen, A.L. et al. Extramedullary Hematopoiesis Visualized on FDG-PET/CT in a Patient with Beta-Thalassemia. Nucl Med Mol Imaging 56, 328–330 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-022-00773-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-022-00773-3

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