[11C]methionine pancreatic scanning with positron emission computed tomography.

By the use of [11C]methionine and positron computed tomography (PCT), images of the pancreas were obtained in 32 patients. The injection of between 10 and 20 mCi of this product enables four to six transverse sections to be obtained. Seventeen of the patients studied had no exocrine pancreatic disease, and in all these cases the pancreas was clearly visible. In four cases of pancreatic carcinoma and one of retroperitoneal tumor, there were abnormalities visible. In five cases of chronic pancreatitis, no pancreatic uptake was observed. In a sixth case, concentration was visible, but only in the head of the pancreas. One case of acute pancreatitis, which showed no concentration during the acute phase, returned to normal after recovery. When visible, the pancreas was easily located and distinguishable from the intestinal image, except in two cases that were uninterpretable for technical reasons. No false positive or negative was observed, but a differential diagnosis between cancer and pancreatitis was impossible.