Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for therapy evaluation of patients with large-vessel vasculitis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Japanese Journal of Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Systemic vasculitis is a multisystem disease characterized by inflammation of blood vessels. Diagnosing extension of the disease and evaluating the response to therapy are cornerstones in the clinical management of vasculitis, and imaging has a pivotal role in this field.

Materials and methods

We have evaluated nine patients with large-vessel vasculitis by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) before and after treatment with corticosteroid.

Results

The evaluation of eight patients was negative at follow-up studies after therapy, and one was unchanged.

Conclusions

18F-FDG-PET/CT is a useful, accurate tool for establishing the diagnosis of large-vessel vasculitis and for evaluating disease extension in these patients. Despite the small number of patients enrolled, our study confirms this statement and offers preliminary evidence that it could also be a reliable, accurate tool for monitoring therapy in conjunction with clinical and biochemical findings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Zeek PM. Periarteritis nodosa; a critical review. Am J Clin Pathol 1952;22:777–790.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Liu NH, LaBree LD, Feldon SE, Rao NA. The epidemiology of giant cell arteritis: a 12-year retrospective study. Ophthalmology 2001;108:1145–1149.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Watts RA, Scott DG. Recent developments in the classification and assessment of vasculitis. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2009;23:429–443.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Borg FA, Dasgupta B. Treatment and outcomes of large vessel arteritis. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2009;23:325–337.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Narvàez J, Narvàez JJ, Nolla JM, Sirvent E, Reina D, Valverde J. Giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: usefulness of vascular magnetic resonance imaging studies in the diagnosis of aortitis. Rheumatology 2005;44:479–483.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Bley TA, Uhl M, Carew J, Marki M, Schmidt E, Peter HH, et al. Diagnostic value of high-resolution MR imaging in giant cell arteritis. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2007;28:1722–1727.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Blockmans D, Bley T, Schmidt W. Imaging for large-vessel vasculitis. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2009;21:19–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Petersdorf RG, Beeson PB. Fever of unexplained origin: report on 100 cases. Medicine 1961;40:1–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Hautzel H, Sander O, Heinzel A, Schneider M, Müller HW. Assessment of large-vessel involvement in giant cell arteritis with 18F-FDG PET: introducing an ROC-analysis-based cutoff ratio. J Nucl Med 2008;49:1107–1113.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hustinx R, Bénard F, Alavi A. Whole-body FDG-PET imaging in the management of patients with cancer. Semin Nucl Med 2002;32:35–46.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Basu S, Zhuang H, Torigian DA, Rosenbaum J, Chen W, Alavi A. Functional imaging of inflammatory diseases using nuclear medicine techniques. Semin Nucl Med 2009;39:124–145.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Basu S, Chryssikos T, Moghadam-Kia S, Zhuang H, Torigian DA, Alavi A. Positron emission tomography as a diagnostic tool in infection: present role and future possibilities. Semin Nucl Med 2009;39:36–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Meller J, Sahlmann CO, Gürocak O, Liersch T, Meller B. FDG-PET in patients with fever of unknown origin: the importance of diagnosing large vessel vasculitis. Q J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2009;53:51–63.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Walter MA, Melzer RA, Schindler C, Müller-Brand J, Tyndall A, Nitzsche EU. The value of [18F]FDG-PET in the diagnosis of large-vessel vasculitis and the assessment of activity and extent of disease. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2005;32:674–681.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Blockmans D, de Ceuninck L, Vanderschueren S, Knockaert D, Mortelmans L, Bobbaers H. Repetitive 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in giant cell arteritis: a prospective study of 35 patients. Arthritis Rheum 2006;55:131–137.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. De Kleijn EM, Vandenbroucke JP, van der Meer JW. Fever of unknown origin (FUO). I. A prospective multicenter study of 167 patients with FUO, using fixed epidemiologic entry criteria-The Netherlands FUO Study Group. Medicine 1997;76:392–400.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Larson EB, Featherstone HJ, Petersdorf MD. Fever of undetermined origin: diagnosis and follow-up of 105 cases, 1970–1980. Medicine 1982;61:269–292.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Bleeker-Rovers CP, Bredie SJ, van der Meer JW, Corstens FH, Oyen WJ. F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in diagnosis and follow-up of patients with different types of vasculitis. Neth J Med 2003;61:323–329.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Webb M, Chambers A, Al-Nahhas A, Mason JC, Maudlin L, Rahman L, Frank J. The role of 18F-FDG PET in characterising disease activity in Takayasu arteritis. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2004;31:627–634.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kobayashi Y, Ishii K, Oda K, Nariai T, Tanaka Y, Ishiwata K, et al. Aortic wall inflammation due to Takayasu arteritis imaged with 18F-FDG PET coregistered with enhanced CT. J Nucl Med 2005;46:917–922.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Walter MA, Melzer RA, Schindler C, Müller-Brand J, Tyndall A, Nitzsche EU. The value of [18F]FDG-PET in the diagnosis of large-vessel vasculitis and the assessment of activity and extent of disease. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2005;32:674–681.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Meller J, Sahlmann CO, Gürocak O, Liersch T, Meller B. FDG-PET in patients with fever of unknown origin: the importance of diagnosing large vessel vasculitis. Q J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2009;53:51–63.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Both M, Ahmadi-Simab K, Reuter M, Dourvos O, Fritzer E, Ullrich S, et al. MRI and FDG-PET in the assessment of inflammatory aortic arch syndrome in complicated courses of giant cell arteritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2008;67:1030–1033.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Brodmann M, Lipp RW, Passath A, Seinost G, Pabst E, Pilger E. The role of 2-18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis of the temporal arteries. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2004;43:241–242.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Meller J, Strutz F, Siefker U, Scheel A, Sahlmann CO, Lehmann K, et al. Early diagnosis and follow-up of aortitis with [18F]FDG PET and MRI. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2003;30:730–736.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Iwabu M, Yamamoto Y, Dobashi H, Kameda T, Kittaka K, Nishiyama Y. F-18 FDG PET findings of Takayasu arteritis before and after immunosuppressive therapy. Clin Nucl Med 2008;33:872–873.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Otsuka H, Morita N, Yamashita K, Nishitani H. FDG-PET/CT for diagnosis and follow-up of vasculitis. J Med Invest 2007;54:345–349.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Ceriani L, Oberson M, Marone C, Gallino A, Giovanella L. F-18 FDG PET-CT imaging in the care-management of a patient with pan-aortitis and coronary involvement. Clin Nucl Med 2007;32:562–564.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Kobayashi Y, Ishii K, Oda K, Nariai T, Tanaka Y, Ishiwata K, et al. Aortic wall inflammation due to Takayasu arteritis imaged with 18F-FDG PET coregistered with enhanced CT. J Nucl Med 2005;46:917–922.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Spedali Civili di Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, Brescia, 25123, Italy

    Francesco Bertagna & Giovanni Bosio

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Federico Caobelli, Federica Motta & Raffaele Giubbini

  3. Dipartimento Materno Infantile e Tecnologie Biomediche, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Giorgio Biasiotto

Authors
  1. Francesco Bertagna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Giovanni Bosio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Federico Caobelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Federica Motta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Giorgio Biasiotto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Raffaele Giubbini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesco Bertagna.

About this article

Cite this article

Bertagna, F., Bosio, G., Caobelli, F. et al. Role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for therapy evaluation of patients with large-vessel vasculitis. Jpn J Radiol 28, 199–204 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-009-0408-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-009-0408-2

Key words

Search

Navigation