Clinical experience with a commercially available negative oral contrast medium in PET/CT

Purpose: To evaluate a commercially available negative oral contrast material for PET/CT. Material and Methods: In a prospective series of 49 patients, Mukofalk (R), which is a vegetarian-based substance, was used as a negative oral contrast medium in whole body PET/CT studies. Mukofalk was administered during a time period of 1.5 hours before the examination. Quality of small bowl distension and eventual pathological tracer uptake in the intestine were evaluated. Results: Distension of the small bowel was excellent or good in 41 (85%) and poor in 8 (15%) patients. Mild tracer uptake in the small bowel was observed in 5 patients (10.2%) and moderate uptake in another 2 patients (4%). In none of these patients did the F-18 FDG uptake interfere with image interpretation. Conclusion: Mukofalk (R) can be used as a negative oral contrast medium in PET/CT studies.