18F-FLUORODEOXYGLUCOSE PET/CT CAN BE AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD TO ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Metabolic imaging
• Medical diagnostics

Background:

• Insulin resistance is commonly assessed using HOMA-IR.
• 18F-FDG PET/CT is a powerful tool for cancer staging and assessing metabolic activity.
• This study explored 18F-FDG PET/CT for evaluating insulin sensitivity in specific tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine insulin sensitivity in liver, muscle, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT).
• To assess the utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in differentiating insulin sensitivity across tissues.
• To correlate PET imaging findings with established insulin resistance markers.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-three adult patients undergoing 18F-FDG PET/CT for cancer staging were analyzed.
• Patients were grouped by BMI (<25kg/m² vs. >25kg/m²).
• HOMA-IR, glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles were measured; SUVmax and SUVgluc were calculated from PET images.

Main Results:

• Higher glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR levels were observed in the higher BMI group (Group 2).
• Group 1 (lower BMI) showed significantly higher muscle and liver SUVmax and muscle SUVgluc compared to Group 2.
• HOMA-IR demonstrated a negative correlation with overall SUVmax and muscle SUVmax.

Conclusions:

• 18F-FDG PET/CT indicated reduced maximum FDG uptake in muscle tissue among individuals with insulin resistance.
• The findings suggest 18F-FDG PET/CT is a promising imaging modality for diagnosing insulin resistance.
• Tissue-specific metabolic assessment via PET/CT offers insights into insulin sensitivity.