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PET scanning may be useful in patients with suspected large vessel vasculitis
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The use of positron emission tomography may be helpful in making the diagnosis of large vessel vasculitis, according to data presented recently.
The records from 20 patients who underwent fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (PET) scans to detect the presence of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) were studied retrospectively. Patients had a 3:1 female-to-male ratio and a mean age of 67 years. Prior to PET scans, the preliminary diagnosis was giant cell arteritis (GCA) or LVV in 15 patients and polymyalgia rheumatica in five patients.
Following PET scans, LVV was diagnosed in 10 patients, five of whom had prior negative temporal artery biopsies. No clinical features of GCA were present in the remaining five LVV-positive patients. Seven of the 10 patients who were negative for LVV on PET had a prior negative temporal artery biopsies. An inverse correlation between the cumulative use of steroids and isotope uptake was observed, and the researchers suggested PET scanning early in the course of disease to avoid interference.
Five of the patients with negative LVV findings were investigated for incidental findings, including thyroid, lung or adrenal nodules and cutaneous or sigmoid colon uptake. The median standardized uptake value was 3.3 in patients who were diagnosed with LVV and 2.2 in PET negative patients.
No differences were seen between patients found LVV-positive on PET scan and C-reactive protein or erythrocyte sedimentation rate, according to the researchers. – by Shirley Pulawski
Reference:
Malaiya R, et al. Paper #AB1083. Presented at: European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology; June 10-13, 2015; Rome.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.