Incidental Visualization of Gallbladder on Post-therapy [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTATATE Scintigraphy Mimicking a Liver Metastasis in a Duodenal Neuroendocrine Tumor

Abstract

Abstract We present a rare case of physiological uptake of [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTATATE in the gallbladder, observed post-therapy, in a 47-year-old man with grade I duodenal neuroendocrine tumor (NET), despite no uptake being observed pre-therapy in the somatostatin receptor-positron emission tomography. On planar scintigraphy, the gallbladder uptake could have been misidentified as liver metastasis. By utilizing single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography imaging, we were able to precisely localize the tracer and obtain anatomical morphological characteristics, thereby averting the potential for misinterpretation of liver metastasis resulting from the gallbladder's physiological uptake of [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTATATE in NET patients.