Relevance of Brain 18F-FDG PET Imaging in Probable Seronegative Encephalitis With Catatonia: A Case Report

Michaël Guetta; Aurélie Kas; Aveline Aouidad; Marine Soret; Yves Allenbach; Manon Bordonné; Alice Oppetit; Marie Raffin; Dimitri Psimaras; David Cohen; Angèle Consoli

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.685711

Relevance of Brain ¹⁸F-FDG PET Imaging in Probable Seronegative Encephalitis With Catatonia: A Case Report

Front Psychiatry. 2021 Jun 9:12:685711. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.685711. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Michaël Guetta¹, Aurélie Kas², Aveline Aouidad¹, Marine Soret², Yves Allenbach³, Manon Bordonné⁴, Alice Oppetit¹, Marie Raffin¹, Dimitri Psimaras⁵, David Cohen^{1

6

7}, Angèle Consoli^{1

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, APHP. SU, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France.
² Department of Nuclear Medicine, APHP. SU, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, LIB, INSERM U1146, Paris, France.
³ Sorbonne-University, Internal Medecine and Clinical Immunlogy Departement, Paris, France.
⁴ University of Lorraine, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Nancyclotep Imaging Platform, CHRU Nancy, Nancy, France.
⁵ Department of Neurology, APHP. SU, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France.
⁶ CNRS UMR 7222, Institute for Intelligent Systems and Robotics, Sorbonne University, Paris, France.
⁷ National Center for Rare Psychiatric Diseases, APHP. SU, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France.

Abstract

Autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) is a rare, severe, and rapidly progressive encephalopathy, and its diagnosis is challenging, especially in adolescent populations when the presentation is mainly psychiatric. Currently, cerebral 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (¹⁸F-FDG-PET) imaging is not included in the diagnosis algorithm. We describe a 16-year-old patient with probable seronegative encephalitis with catatonia for which several cerebral PET scans were relevant and helpful for diagnosis, treatment decision making, and follow-up monitoring. The patient recovered after 2 years of treatment with etiologic treatment of AIE and treatment of catatonia. This case suggests a more systematic assessment of the clinical relevance of ¹⁸F-FDG-PET imaging in probable seronegative AIE.

Keywords: abnormal movement; adolescence; catatonia; cerebral PET/CT; encephalitis.

Publication types

Case Reports