Although hepatobiliary
iminodiacetic acid (
HIDA) scan is often used when the diagnosis of
cholecystitis remains questionable after ultrasound, it carries a high false-positive rate and has other limitations. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18FDG PET-CT) has recently gained enthusiasm for its ability to detect
infection and
inflammation. In this study, we evaluate the accuracy of
18FDG PET-CT in diagnosing
cholecystitis. Nineteen patients with suspected
cholecystitis (Group S) underwent PET-CT and 10 had positive PET-CT findings. Of these 10, nine underwent
cholecystectomies, and pathology confirmed
cholecystitis in all nine. One patient was managed nonoperatively as a result of multiple comorbidities. Of the nine patients with negative PET-CT, six were managed nonoperatively, safely discharged, and had no readmissions at 3-month follow-up. The other three patients with negative PET-CT underwent
cholecystectomies, and two showed no
cholecystitis on pathology. The third had mild to moderate
cholecystitis with focal mucosal erosion/ulceration without gallbladder wall thickening on pathology.
18FDG PET-CT detected
gallbladder inflammation in all but one patient with pathology-proven
cholecystitis with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.90 and 1.00, respectively. 18FDG-PET-CT appears to be a promising, rapid, direct, and accurate test in diagnosing
cholecystitis and could replace
HIDA scan in cases that remain equivocal after ultrasound.