[18F-FDG PET/CT in a patient with clinical suspicion of giant cell arteritis]

Recenti Prog Med. 2013 Jul-Aug;104(7-8):446-9. doi: 10.1701/1315.14594.
[Article in Italian]

Abstract

We report the case of a 72 year old man with clinical suspicion of giant cell arteritis (GCA); in this case 18F-FDG PET/CT has been useful from the diagnosis to the control of the response to therapy. He performed the first 18F-FDG PET/CT that showed increased uptake of 18F-FDG in the aortic arch, brachial artery, common iliac and femoral arteries and in the temporal cerebral sites bilaterally. The patient then began a cortisonic therapy that led straight to the improvement of clinical symptoms, and repeated 18F-FDG PET/CT 3 months later the beginning of therapy that showed reduced uptake in the same sites of the first 18F-FDG PET/CT. This patient continued the cortisonic therapy, progressively reducing it until the definitive ending.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use
  • Aorta, Thoracic / diagnostic imaging
  • Brachial Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Cortisone / therapeutic use
  • Drug Monitoring
  • Femoral Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / drug therapy
  • Humans
  • Iliac Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Male
  • Multidetector Computed Tomography
  • Multimodal Imaging / methods*
  • Radionuclide Imaging
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Temporal Arteries / diagnostic imaging

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Cortisone