[Positron emission tomography/computed tomography in rheumatology]

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Radiology
• Molecular imaging

Background:

• Combined positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a whole-body imaging procedure.
• It enables sensitive detection of inflammatory changes, providing precise anatomical and molecular information.
• The glucose analogue 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a key radiotracer for imaging inflammatory processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosing and characterizing inflammatory diseases.
• To discuss the role of standardized uptake values (SUV) in semiquantitative analysis.
• To explore the potential of other radiopharmaceuticals for inflammatory disorder imaging.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing whole-body PET/CT scans.
• Employing 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) as the primary radiotracer.
• Semiquantitative analysis of tracer accumulation using standardized uptake values (SUV).

Main Results:

• 18F-FDG PET/CT effectively images a broad spectrum of infectious, non-infectious inflammatory, and malignant diseases.
• The modality is increasingly used for evaluating large vessel vasculitis and unexplained elevated inflammatory markers.
• Other radiopharmaceuticals can assess additional inflammatory parameters like metabolic pathways and receptor expression.

Conclusions:

• 18F-FDG PET/CT is a valuable tool for sensitive detection and characterization of inflammatory conditions.
• Its ability to combine anatomical and molecular data enhances disease assessment.
• Further research into diverse radiopharmaceuticals can expand non-invasive inflammatory disorder analysis.