Role of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and ¹⁸F-2-fluorodeoxy sorbitol (FDS) in autoimmune hypophysitis: a case report

Autoimmune hypophysitis is a rare disease characterized by the infiltration of lymphocytic cells into the pituitary gland. ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and ¹⁸F-2-fluorodeoxy sorbitol (FDS) positron emission tomography (PET) are well-established and emerging techniques, respectively, which may aid in the diagnosis and classification of autoimmune hypophysitis.

Here, we report a 40-year-old female diagnosed with central diabetes insipidus and multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies, and MRI revealed homogeneous signals in the pituitary gland as well as thickened in the pituitary stalk. FDG PET localized the pituitary and pituitary stalk lesions and displayed an SUVmax of 5.5. FDS, a sensitive radiotracer for bacterial infections but remains unproven under aseptic inflammation, also demonstrated elevated radioactivity, with an SUVmax of 1.1 at 30 min and 0.73 at 120 min. Transnasal biopsy suggested a diagnosis of autoimmune hypophysitis, and the patient displayed radiological and clinical improvement after treatment with glucocorticoids and hormone replacement.

Autoimmune hypophysitis can display elevated FDG uptake, which aids in the localization of the lesions. In addition to revealing bacterial infection specifically, FDS can also accumulate under autoimmune conditions, suggesting that it could serve as a potential radiotracer for both bacterial and aseptic inflammation.

The patient was enrolled in study NCT02450942 (clinicaltrials.gov, Registered May 21, 2015).