Pulmonary Artery 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake by PET/CMR as a Marker of Pulmonary Hypertension in Sarcoidosis.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether pulmonary artery (PA) 18F-FDG uptake is associated with hypertension, and if it correlates to elevated pulmonary pressures. BACKGROUND: 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography or cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been used to assess inflammation mostly in large arteries of the systemic circulation. Much less is known about inflammation of the vasculature of the pulmonary system and its relationship to pulmonary hypertension (PH). METHODS: In a single-center cohort of 175 patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis, who underwent hybrid thoracic PET/CMR, 18F-FDG uptake in the PA was quantified according to maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and target-to-background ratio (TBR) and compared with available results from right heart catheterization (RHC) or transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). RESULTS: Thirty-three subjects demonstrated clear 18F-FDG uptake in the PA wall. In the subgroup of patients who underwent RHC (n = 10), the mean PA pressure was significantly higher in the group with PA 18F-FDG uptake compared with the group without uptake (34.4 ± 7.2 mm Hg vs 25.6 ± 9.3 mm Hg; P = 0.003), and 9 (90%) patients with PA 18F-FDG uptake had PH when a mean PA pressure cutoff of 25 mm Hg was used compared with 18 (45%) in the nonuptake group (P < 0.05). In the subgroup that underwent TTE, signs of PH were present in a significantly higher number of patients with PA 18F-FDG uptake (14 [51.9%] vs 37 [29.8%]; P < 0.05). Qualitative assessment of 18F-FDG uptake in the PA wall showed a sensitivity of 33% and specificity of 96% for separating patients with PH based on RHC-derived PA pressures. SUVmax and TBR in the PA wall correlated with PA pressure derived from RHC and/or TTE. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that 18F-FDG uptake by PET/CMR in the PA is associated with PH and that its intensity correlates with PA pressure.

Brugada Phenocopy: A Case of Incessant Ventricular Tachycardia in a Patient with Tricyclic Antidepressant Overdose.

Brugada electrocardiographic pattern, or Brugada phenocopy (BrP), can be found in conditions other than Brugada syndrome. We present the case of a 34-year-old woman who was found convulsing at home followed by ventricular tachycardia (VT) cardiac arrest upon arrival to the emergency department. Electrical direct cardioversion led to a return of spontaneous circulation, and she was started on intravenous amiodarone. The patient had four additional episodes of pulseless VT that returned to sinus rhythm with electrical cardioversion. A subsequent electrocardiogram taken in sinus rhythm revealed a right bundle branch block pattern with a coved ST segment elevation and inverted T waves in leads V1 and V2, suggestive of BrP type 1. Further inquiry revealed that an empty bottle of nortriptyline was found at her home. Nortriptyline intoxication was subsequently confirmed by a serum level of 1581 ng/mL. Treatments with intravenous sodium bicarbonate resolved the BrP, and she fully recovered with supportive care. Intoxication with drugs that inhibit cardiac sodium channels, such as nortriptyline, can trigger a BrP in otherwise normal individuals. Nortriptyline and other tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are used to treat chronic pain, depression, and other conditions but have dose-related side effects and can lead to fatal overdose. Intoxication by these TCAs should be on the differential when a BrP is observed.