ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: PET/CT is regularly used to investigate inflammatory syndrome of unknown origin (IUO), but hypermetabolisms found are not always consistent with the final diagnosis. The objective of the study was to assess the cost attributed to the diagnostic work-up for these false positives. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an ancillary study on a previous retrospective cohort from the internal medicine department at Amiens university hospital in patients who had a PET/CT scan between October 2004 and April 2017. Patients were included if PET/CT had been prescribed to investigate IUO. Among the 763 PET/CT performed, 144 met the inclusion criteria and a false-positive rate of 17.4% (n=25) was reported. RESULTS: Among these 25 patients, 21 underwent further investigations. The most frequently found hypermetabolic territories were digestive (n=12, mean SUVmax 8 [±4.33]) and osteoarticular (n=11, mean SUVmax 4.33 [±1.15]). The total cost of the 13 prescribed consultations was 390, the total cost of the 40 additional tests was 4,476 (mainly digestive endoscopies and radiological tests) and the total cost of medical transport was 572. The total cost of the 35 days of hospitalization specifically required to investigate these false positives was 22,952. In 23.8% (n=5), these investigations led to the incidental discovery of tumor lesions. CONCLUSION: The economic impact of false-positive PET/CT results does not appear to be negligible and merits a genuine prospective medico-economic study.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of colposcopy plus ZedScan, which measures changes in tissue electrical impedance, for detecting intraepithelial high-grade lesions compared to colposcopy alone. METHODS: A prospective study conducted at a university hospital colposcopy clinic. Patients referred following abnormal cervical cytology or colposcopic follow up were examined by colposcopy plus ZedScan to assess the cervix. The results of ZedScan directed and colposcopically directed biopsies were compared. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients were included in this study. The median age was 33 years. Eighty (88%) were referred with abnormal cytology; LSIL 45%, ASCUS 27%, ACS-H 8%, HSIL 7%, AGC 1% and 12% follow-up postconisation or colposcopic follow up. Colposcopy alone detected 18 high-grade lesions with 64 women undergoing biopsy with a total of 115 biopsies being taken with a sensitivity of 60% and NPV estimated at 81.7%. ZedScan with colposcopy increased the detection of high-grade lesions by 47.3%, identifying 27 high-grade lesions and one case of invasive cancer. Sensitivity was 93.1% and NPV estimated at 91.3%. A combination of normal colposcopy practice and ZedScan had a sensitivity and NPV of 100%. CONCLUSION: ZedScan used in conjunction with the colposcopy improves sensitivity in detecting high-grade lesions at the expense of a moderate increase in the number of biopsies.
