¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT in Initiation and Progression of Inflammation and Infection

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Medical imaging
• Infectious disease diagnostics

Background:

• Accurate detection and localization of infection and inflammation are crucial for effective treatment.
• Nuclear medicine imaging, particularly ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, offers high sensitivity for identifying infectious and inflammatory processes.
• Monitoring disease progression and response to treatment is essential in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in monitoring the development and progression of infection and inflammation in a rat model.
• To assess the ability of ¹⁸F-FDG uptake to differentiate between sterile and infected abscesses.
• To investigate the temporal changes in ¹⁸F-FDG uptake over five days post-abscess induction.

Main Methods:

• Sterile and *S. aureus*-induced infected abscesses were created in rats.
• ¹⁸F-FDG was administered, and rats underwent PET/CT imaging daily for five days.
• Maximum standard uptake value (SUV_max) of ¹⁸F-FDG was calculated to quantify uptake.

Main Results:

• ¹⁸F-FDG uptake was highest on day one, with significantly higher SUV_max in *S. aureus* abscesses (3.9±0.9) compared to sterile abscesses (2.2±0.8).
• Uptake decreased daily, reaching background levels by days four and five.
• Statistically significant differences in SUV_max were observed between infected and sterile abscesses during the first three days (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging, by analyzing SUV_max values, can effectively differentiate between sterile and infected abscesses in the early stages.
• The study highlights the potential of ¹⁸F-FDG-PET imaging for rapid diagnosis due to the local availability of equipment and agents.
• This imaging modality shows promise for guiding timely and appropriate treatment decisions for infection and inflammation.