Telbivudine-induced rhabdomyolysis in a patient undergoing haemodialysis: A case report and review of literature.

Herein, we describe a case of acute rhabdomyolysis in a man in his early 50s undergoing haemodialysis and receiving the antiviral drug, telbivudine, for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Following diagnosis by electromyography (EMG), magnetic resonance image (MRI) scans and laboratory data (i.e., elevated serum creatinine kinase (CK) and myoglobin) telbivudine was discontinued and the patient was treated with methylprednisolone. While his CK and myoglobin levels decreased rapidly, his muscle weakness and pain improved slowly. Learning points include: patients undergoing haemodialysis and concomitantly receiving antiviral treatment for HBV, should have their serum levels of CK and myoglobin monitored regularly; treatment with corticosteroids maybe required; relief from rhabdomyolysis-induced muscle weakness and pain may be slow due to nerve fibre damage.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of tenofovir and telbivudine in interrupting mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus.

ABSTRACT: The present study is aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of tenofovir (TDF) and telbivudine (TBV) in interrupting hepatitis B virus (HBV) mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), and to provide evidence-based treatment options to clinicians and patients.Hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive pregnant women (644 in total) with high HBV DNA load (≥2 × 105 IU/mL) and who received TDF (n = 214) or TBV (n = 380) in the second or third trimester, or received no treatment (n = 50) were included in this retrospective analysis.HBV DNA levels in mothers at delivery were significantly lower than baseline in the 2 treatment groups. HBV DNA levels in the TDF group were significantly different between the mothers receiving treatment in the second trimester and those receiving treatment in the third trimester; however, significant difference was not observed in the TBV group. The proportion of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive infants at the age of 7 to 12 months in the TDF, TBV, and control groups were 0.00% (0/174), 0.30% (1/331), and 5.0% (2/40) with a significant difference between the treatment groups and the control group, but no difference between the TDF and TBV group (P > .05). However, no serious adverse events were observed in infants and mothers of all groups.TBV and TDF can effectively reduce the HBV DNA level and MTCT rate in pregnant women with high HBV DNA load (≥2 × 105 IU/mL); both antiviral drugs are safe for infants and mothers. Since TDF was more effective in reducing HBV DNA levels during the second trimester, its use during the period is recommended to prevent HBV MTCT.

Developmental consequences of children born from mothers with telbivudine treatment during late pregnancy: A prospective study with 3-year follow-up.

We prospectively investigated the neurological development in infants born from mothers treated with telbivudine (LdT) in the third trimester for prevention of hepatitis B virus (HBV) mother-to-infant transmission. Mothers with high HBV load were assigned to either the LdT group (n = 81, 600 mg of LdT each day from gestational week 28 to delivery) or the Control group (n = 39, untreated). Their infants were followed for 36 months to assess physical and neurological developments with Gesell Developmental Schedule tools. At 12 months after birth, the mean scores in the LdT group for gross motor, fine motor, adaptive, linguistic, and personal social domains were similar to those in the Control group. At 36 months, infants in the LdT group had higher mean scores for gross motor than the Control group (98.42 ± 9.69 vs. 94.54 ± 7.48, P = 0.03). In the LdT group, the rates of normal development were higher for gross motor (96.30% vs. 82.05% P = 0.01) and lower for adaptive (74.07% vs. 92.31% P = 0.02). Multivariate regression analyses showed that exposure to LdT during pregnancy was independently associated with infant's development in gross motor (OR 6.49, 95% CI 1.37-30.20, P = 0.02) and adaptive (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.05-0.71, P = 0.01) at 36 months. These results suggest that prenatal LdT exposure might affect neurological development in long-term observation.Abbreviations: LdT: telbivudine; HBV: hepatitis B virus; HBsAg: hepatitis B surface antigen; HBeAg: hepatitis Be antigen; HbsAb: hepatitis B surface antibody; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; NA: nucleoside/nucleotide analog; LAM: lamivudine; MTCT: mother-to-child transmission; GDS: Gesell Developmental Schedule; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval; DQ: developmental quotient; RMB: renminbi; BMI: body mass Index; HBIG: hepatitis B immunoglobulin.

Efficacy of 104-week Telbivudine-based optimization strategy in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B virus infections.

BACKGROUND: Evaluate the safety and efficacy of 104-week regimen of Telbivudine(LdT)-based optimization strategy for Chinese patients who have chronic hepatits B(CHB) with HBeAg-negative. METHODS: This multi-center, open-label, prospective study enrolled 108 HBeAg-negative CHB patients who received LdT (600 mg/day) for 24 weeks, Adefovir (ADV) was added if HBV DNA remained detectable at week 24, otherwise LdT was maintained to use until 104 weeks. HBV DNA, alanine amino transferase (ALT), hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg), creatinine kinase(CK), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were measured, safety was assessed. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients (81%) had HBV-DNA undetectable at 24 weeks and maintained to receive LdT monotherapy until 104 weeks, whereas the other 20 patients had HBV-DNA detectable and ADV was used in combination. For all patients, 72% of patients reached ALT normalization at 24 weeks, which increased to 80% at 52 weeks and 104 weeks, respectively.. 81% of total patients had undetectable HBV-DNA at 24 weeks, 92% at 52 weeks, and 94% at 104 weeks. The HBsAg titre declined steadily from baseline to 104 weeks (3.62 vs. 2.98 log10 IU/mL, p < 0.05), and the eGFR increased steadily from baseline to 104 weeks (92.9 vs. 104.4 mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.05). Although 79 patients (73%) had at least one time of elevated CK, most of these patients had CK elevated in Grade 1/2. CONCLUSIONS: LdT was well tolerated and effective, and 94% of patients achieved virological suppression after 104 weeks. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered in clinicaltrials.gov on January 31, 2012 and the ID No. was NCT01521975 .

Efficacy and safety of telbivudine treatment for the prevention of HBV perinatal transmission.

To observe the efficacy of telbivudine in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) women with high viral load during pregnancy and the long-term effects on intelligence, growth, and development of the newborns.A total of 87 patients were included. Forty-two patients received telbivudine orally 600 mg per day and treatment initiated from 12 weeks after gestation until the 12th postpartum week. Forty-five patients were untreated according to principle of informed consent. All infants received injection of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG; 200 IU) and were vaccinated with recombinant HBV vaccine. Wechsler preschool intelligence scale was used to assess mental and neuropsychological developments of these children till they were 6 years old. Data including serum HBV DNA viral load, Apgar score, and scores of Wechsler preschool intelligence scale were analyzed and compared.Levels of both serum HBV DNA and ALT in patients who received telbivudine were significantly decreased at the 12th week after delivery, compared with baseline levels (P < .01). No significant changes were observed in patients not receiving telbivudine (P > .05). Serum HBV DNA and ALT levels at the 12th week after delivery in the telbivudine group were significantly lower than those of patients without telbivudine (P < .01). The serum HBsAg-positive rate in neonates 7 months of age was 0%, which was significantly lower than that in control group (11.11%) (P < .05). No statistical differences were observed between the 2 groups regarding maternal cesarean section rate, adverse pregnancy rate, postpartum bleeding rate, neonatal body mass, Apgar score, neonatal malformation incidence, or intelligence development of newborn.Telbivudine is effective to reduce the viral load in CHB mothers with high viral load and could lower the perinatal transmission rate. Both mental and physical development in neonates with exposure to telbivudine during perinatal period were similar to those without telbivudine exposure.

Efficacy of telbivudine and entecavir against virus reactivation in HBeAg-patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The renal protective effect of telbivudine (LdT) was verified by a previous meta-analysis. It was left unclear, however if this effect offsets the associated risk of virological breakthrough in hepatitis B e-antigen-negative (HBeAg-) patients receiving chemotherapy (C/T).Records of 260 HBeAg-, non-cirrhotic cancer patients undergoing systemic C/T with prophylactic LdT or entecavir (ETV) were retrospectively investigated. The investigation was conducted 6 months after completion of C/T, patient death from cancer, or antiviral modification. Treatment duration, outcome, change of renal function, and reason for antiviral modification were analyzed. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of virological breakthrough during prophylaxis C/T and the change in renal function.Of the 126 HBeAg- patients treated with LdT, 3 (2.38%) experienced HBV virological breakthroughs, whereas none of the patients treated with ETV (P = .07) did. The estimated glomerular filtration rate for the patients treated with LdT was essentially unaltered, decreasing only slightly from 87.5 ±â€Š23.1 to 87.3 ±â€Š21.3 ml/minute/1.73 m (P = .55), while the rate for the ETV-treated patients was significantly lowered from 95.7 ±â€Š32.2 to 85.5 ±â€Š85.7 ml/minute/1.73 m (P = .0009).The absolute risk reduction ARR is 27.8% - 21.2% = 6.6%, comparing ETV with LdT for reduction of renal function impairment and the absolute risk increase for virological breakthrough during C/T, the absolute risk increase (ARI) is 2.38% - 0% = 2.38%. The overall likelihood of being helped over being harmed was 2.77. With careful selection of patients with the criteria of HBeAg-status and non-hematologic cancer, it is feasible that telbivudine raise lower probability of virological breakthroughs during prophylaxis treatment.

Efficacy and Safety of Lamivudine or Telbivudine in Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus: A Real-World Study.

BACKGROUND: There are few large sample studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of lamivudine (LAM) or telbivudine (LdT) in preventing hepatitis B mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) in highly viremic mothers in the third trimester of pregnancy in real-world settings. The purpose of this study was to analyze a large sample size of HBV-infected mothers to better understand the safety and efficacy of LAM and LdT under the aforementioned criteria. METHODS: During the period of November 2008 to November 2017, we retrospectively enrolled mothers with HBV DNA > 1 × 106 IU/mL who received LAM or LdT during the third trimester of pregnancy and compared them to untreated mothers. All mothers were divided into the three following groups: the LAM group, the LdT group, and the control group. RESULTS: A total of 2624 HBV-infected mothers were enrolled in the study, with 363 in the LAM group, 1283 in the LdT group, and 978 in the control group. The MTCT rates were significantly lower in the LAM or LdT group than that in the control group (0.4% or 0.3% versus 9.0%, P < 0.001). Infants born to untreated mothers had a significantly higher risk of HBV infection (OR = 28.6, 95% CI: 10.4-78.7, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in perinatal complications between the three groups (P > 0.05). There were also no differences for gestational age or infants' height, weight, Apgar scores, or birth defect rates. Postpartum discontinuation of antiviral therapy did not seem to increase the risk of postpartum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) flare. CONCLUSION: LAM or LdT treatment initiated in the third trimester for mothers with HBV DNA > 1 × 106 IU/mL was equally safe and effective in preventing MTCT.

Telbivudine for renal transplant recipients with chronic hepatitis B infection: a randomized controlled trial with early termination.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze changes in renal function in HBsAg-positive renal transplant recipients receiving lamivudine who did or did not switch to telbivudine. METHODS: In this prospective randomized clinical trial (RCT), HBsAg-positive renal transplant recipients who had received lamivudine prophylaxis for at least 6 months were 1:2 randomized to receive either lamivudine or telbivudine for another 24 months. Renal function was evaluated by creatinine level and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the time of randomization (baseline), 6, 12, 18, and 24 months respectively. RESULTS: This RCT was prematurely terminated after recruiting only 17 patients due to a high incidence (61.5%; 8/13) of clinical myalgia in the telbivudine group. Cox's proportional hazards model revealed that there was no independent predictor of myalgia. Based on intention-to-treat and per protocol analyses using generalized estimating equations, the patients in the randomized telbivudine group had a significantly increased eGFR and the patients in the lamivudine group had a significantly decreased eGFR at the end of follow-up compared to the values at study enrollment. However, there was no significant difference between the lamivudine and telbivudine groups. CONCLUSIONS: The renal protective effect of telbivudine for HBsAg positive renal transplant recipients was uncertain for high incidence of myalgia and only patients who were on telbivudine for 24 months had renal function maintenance.

Clinical efficacy and safety in telbivudine- or tenofovir-treated hepatitis B e antigen-positive pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Telbivudine (LdT) and tenofovir (TDF) are widely used in pregnant women to prevent vertical transmission; however, limited data are available on the differences in clinical efficacy and safety between the two drugs. METHODS: A total of 307 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive pregnant women with complete follow-up data were enrolled, the patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels <1×ULN at baseline were enrolled to cohort 1 for treatment from 28 ±4 weeks gestation to delivery, while ALT levels >1×ULN at baseline were enrolled to cohort 2 for treatment from 28 ±4 weeks gestation and continued after delivery. The clinical efficacy and safety was compared in LdT- and TDF-treated patients. In addition, 32 patients in cohort 1 were analysed for nucleoside analogue (NA)-related resistance mutations at baseline and after delivery. RESULTS: The results showed that HBV DNA levels were significantly lower at delivery than at baseline (P<0.001), but the decreases in HBV DNA, ALT, total bilirubin and total bile acid levels did not differ between the LdT- and TDF-treated patients at different time points (P>0.05) in the two cohorts. However, gastrointestinal adverse effects (vomiting) occurred more frequently in TDF-treated than LdT-treated patients (6.6% versus 0.0%; P=0.001). The results of NA-related resistance mutations analysis in cohort 1 revealed that short-term LdT or TDF treatment did not significantly change the NA-related resistance mutations (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that the clinical efficacy in LdT- or TDF-treated HBeAg-positive Chinese pregnant women is similar, and gastrointestinal adverse effects occurred more frequently in TDF-treated patients.

Potential Effects of Telbivudine Versus Entecavir on Renal Function in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Receiving Glucocorticoids Therapy.

Data remains limited about the optimal nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy for patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) while treated with glucocorticoids because of kidney diseases. We aim to evaluate the safety and efficacy of long-term antiviral therapy with telbivudine (LdT) and entecavir (ETV) in this specific population. In this prospective randomized controlled study, a total of 60 patients with both kidney diseases and chronic hepatitis B were randomly divided into LdT group and ETV group. We analyzed changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), variation in HBV DNA, seroconversion of hepatitis B e antigen (HbeAg) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). During the 18 month follow-up period, serum HBV DNA load was decreased significantly at 3, 6, 12, 18 months, compared to the pre-treatment value in both LdT and ETV cohorts. No patients achieved HBeAg loss-seroconversion or HBsAg loss-seroconversion with ETV therapy whilst one patient experienced HBeAg and HBsAg loss-seroconversion with LdT therapy. No significant changes in eGFR were seen in patients with ETV therapy compared to baseline. However, eGFR increased 7.43, 18.97 mL/min/1.73m2 , respectively at 12 and 18 months in LdT group and the changes were significant compared to baseline. Further analysis also demonstrated that eGFR significantly improved 11.8, 23.25 mL/min/1.73m2 at 12 and 18 months in LdT group for patients with impaired renal function. LdT is superior to ETV in patients with chronic hepatitis B and kidney diseases because of the renal protection it confers by increasing eGFR.

Effects of entecavir, tenofovir and telbivudine treatment on renal functions in chronic hepatitis B patients.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The aim of this study was to enlighten the controversy about the renal safety of entecavir, tenofovir, and telbivudine treatments in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients by comparing these treatments in real-world conditions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 104 treatment-naive patients with CHB monoinfection into our study. Patients were treated with entecavir monotherapy (n=38), tenofovir monotherapy (n=35), or telbivudine monotherapy (n=31). We then compared and statistically analyzed the effects of these drugs on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) over a 24-month follow-up period. RESULTS: In the entecavir group, time-dependent change in eGFR was not statistically significant (p = 0.357). There was a statistically significant increase in eGFR in the telbivudine group at 12 months (p<0.001) and at 24 months (p<0.001) and, in contrast, a statistically significant decrease in the tenofovir group at 12 months (p<0.001) and at 24 months (p<0.001). There was no significant relationship between entecavir and eGFR change (p = 0.763). We found that tenofovir and telbivudine were independent predictors of eGFR change (decrease in eGFR, p<0.001 and increase in eGFR, p = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We recommend close follow-up of renal functions, especially for patients treated with tenofovir. Telbivudine was superior to the other drugs in terms of renal function. We conclude that an individualized therapy program considering treatment efficacy and side effects is the best option for patients.

[A case of telbivudine-related fatal lactic acidosis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome].

The incidence of telbivudine-related adverse reactions has been gradually increased. The increased levels of muscle enzymes and blood lactate are common. In this case, a 23-year-old male patient with long-term oral telbivudine had a rare serious adverse reaction. The main clinical manifestations were progressive myalgia, gradually progressed to mental disorder, and together with multiple organ dysfunction, in which the level of blood lactate was increased significantly and metabolic acidosis was extremely severe. Blood purification and sodium bicarbonate were given to correct acidosis, while ceftazidime was used to prevent infection. Telbivudine was discontinued, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and liver protective drug were used. The patient was discharged with a better health condition. Such patients are easily misdiagnosed as neuromuscular diseases in the early stage, which might delay the treatment and worsen medical conditions. Clinicians need to be cautious and obtain an early identification to avoid misdiagnosis.

Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis for Assessing Adverse Effects of Anti-hepatitis B Drugs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Oral nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NAs) have been advocated for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment with good efficacy. However, less attention has been put on their adverse events. Therefore, a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to evaluate the relative safety of five NAs (lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, entecavir, telbivudine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) in CHB treatment among adults. METHODS: Eligible randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies were systematically and thoroughly searched until May 1, 2019. Poisson-prior-based Bayesian NMA was performed to synthesize both direct and indirect evidence with reporting hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% credible intervals (CrIs) for serious adverse events (SAEs) and hepatic/renal impairments. RESULTS: Thirty-three RCTs and 11 prospective cohort studies were identified. As to SAEs, no statistically significant difference was found of any comparison among five NAs. In terms of hepatotoxicity, lamivudine was safer than telbivudine (HR 0.45; 95% CrI 0.21, 0.85), and entecavir increased the risk by 102% (entecavir vs lamivudine: HR 2.02; 95% CrI 1.19, 3.27). CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this large NMA could influence clinical practice, and the methodological framework of this study could provide evidence-based support to analyze sparse safety data in the field.

Efficacy and safety of telbivudine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in preventing hepatitis B vertical transmission: A real-life practice.

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is a major obstacle in the elimination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Telbivudine (LdT) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) are the two most common antiviral medicines for preventing MTCT. However, the efficacy and safety of LdT and TDF in preventing HBV vertical transmission during the second to third trimester have not been compared rigorously. Therefore, we carried out a prospective multicentre cohort study of chronic hepatitis B in mothers with HBV DNA > 106  IU/mL, receiving LdT or TDF during the second to third trimester. Among the 893 mothers enrolled, 857 (LdT/TDF/untreated group (NTx) = 396/325/136) completed consecutive follow-up with 854 infants (LdT/TDF/NTx = 395/323/136). LdT and TDF treatment resulted in a similar decrease of HBV DNA in mothers at delivery. Multivariate analysis indicated that only HBsAg titre at the baseline correlated with viral DNA decrease (P = 0.015). With intention-to-treat analysis, MTCT rates in the LdT, TDF and NTx group were 4.41%, 2.42% and 22.08%, respectively. An increasing vertical transmission rate was found to be closely associated with higher HBsAg titre, 5.32% and 17.65% infection rate was estimated in infants born to mothers with HBsAg > 4 and >5 log10 IU/mL, respectively. No serious side effects were reported in either mothers or infants. LdT and TDF treatments were well tolerated and showed comparable efficacy in reducing MTCT. Higher risk of MTCT was shown in pregnant women with HBsAg > 4 log10 IU/mL.

Efficacy and safety of long-term therapy with nucleos(t)ide analogues in chronic hepatitis B.

AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues in patients with chronic hepatitis B. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational study in 101 chronic hepatitis B (HBeAg-negative and HBeAg-positive) patients treated (≥3 years) with entecavir, tenofovir or telbivudine. RESULTS: Treatment with entecavir and tenofovir was associated with high rate of virologic and biochemical response (>95%) and HBeAg seroconversion (93% and 67%, respectively). Cumulative rate of virologic resistance was 0; 3.1% and 43.5% for tenofovir, entecavir and telbivudine, respectively. Long-term nucleos(t)ide analogues treatment resulted in a regress of liver fibrosis (from 8.92 to 7.18 kPa, р<0.0001) and reduction in the number of patients with advanced fibrosis (from 48.1% to 13.8%, р<0.0001). Entecavir and tenofovir were safe and well tolerated, while treatment with telbivudine was associated with development of myopathy in 13% of cases. CONCLUSION: Entecavir and tenofovir might be recommended for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B because of having potent antiviral effect, high genetic barriers against resistance and good safety.

High percentage atypical hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs.

Nucleos(t)ide analogs are used for preventing liver cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B patients, but the risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in these patients remain unclear. We designed this retrospective cohort study, the aim is to determine the risk factors for HCC development and its image presentation under nucleos(t)ide analogs treatment.In this study, patients were treated with lamivudine (LAM), entecavir 0.5 mg (ETV), or telbivudine (LdT), and followed-up for at least 2 years to detect HCC and its presentation. Assessment of the risk factors for HCC included age, sex, HBeAg, viral load, liver cirrhosis, current and previous medications, and liver function tests.Totally, 396 patients were recruited, and 18 patients developed HCC. The mean time from the treatment to HCC development was 28.5 ±â€Š16.7 months. The clinical characteristics in HCC and no-HCC groups showed significant differences among age (52.8 ±â€Š6.1 vs 47.1 ±â€Š12.6 years, P <.01), baseline alanine transaminase (ALT) levels (161.4 ±â€Š177.3 vs 361.7 ±â€Š496.3, P <.01), and baseline liver cirrhosis (72.2% vs 29.9%, P <.01). In patients aged ≥45 years, the hazard ratio of HCC was 10.2 and liver cirrhosis was 4.1. Majority of HCCs developed in the right liver (14/18), were single numbered (13/18), had tumor size about 1.9 ±â€Š0.7 cm, were classified as T1 (14/18, TNM staging), and the atypical image occupied 88% of the HCC cases.The patients aged ≧45 years on long-term nucleos(t)ide analog therapy, and with baseline liver cirrhosis were at a high risk of HCC. Regular alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) assessment and image study of these patients are the gold standards for early HCC detection in patients with high percentage atypical HCC appearances.

Telbivudine-Induced Myopathy Incidentally Detected by FDG PET/CT Imaging in a Patient With History of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Myopathy is an adverse effect of telbivudine. We describe a case of telbivudine-induced myopathy visualized on FDG PET/CT in a 75-year-old man with history of chronic HBV infection and hepatocellular carcinoma. FDG PET/CT images demonstrate no abnormal uptake characteristic of hypermetabolic malignancy. However, intense hypermetabolic activity in muscles of the abdominal wall was noted. Three months after telbivudine withdrawal, a second FDG PET/CT showed normal muscle activity in the abdominal wall.