Upsampling from aorta and aortic branches: PET/CT hybrid imaging identified 18F-FDG hypermetabolism in inflamed temporal and occipital arteries

Clin Nucl Med. 2014 Jan;39(1):e84-6. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0b013e3182868aae.

Abstract

Temporal arteries are typically below detectable levels of PET scanners, which repeatedly showed to be limiting in finding increased F-FDG accumulation even in histologically proven cases of giant cell arteritis. In 2010, Gaemperli and coworkers showed metabolic active inflammation in temporal arteries in an experimental study using PET with [C]-PK11195 combined with CT angiography. Herein, we present the case where an increased accumulation of routinely used tracer F-FDG can be identified directly in temporal and occipital arteries and even in smaller branches using a common hybrid PET/CT scanner if a brain acquisition protocol is applied.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aorta / diagnostic imaging
  • Aorta / metabolism*
  • Aortography
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18* / metabolism
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / diagnosis*
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / diagnostic imaging
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Occipital Lobe / blood supply*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Temporal Lobe / blood supply*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

Substances

  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18