Prognostic value of hypermetabolic bone sarcoidosis observed by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

OBJECTIVES: Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatosis diagnosed mainly in young adults.18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is useful in sarcoidosis cases to search for a biopsiable site or assess disease activity.18F-FDG PET-CT can reveal bone hypermetabolism in sarcoidosis patients, even in the absence of osteoarticular symptoms. The aim of this study was to describe metabolic bone involvement in sarcoidosis patients and to evaluate its prognostic impact. METHODS: This was an observational, comparative, retrospective, monocentric study. Inclusion criteria were a confirmed diagnosis of sarcoidosis according to the World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Diseases (WASOG) criteria and at least one 18F-FDG PET-CT scan during follow-up. Metabolic bone involvement of sarcoidosis was defined as focal bone hypermetabolism with no argument for a differential diagnosis of bone 18F-FDG uptake. Patients with and without bone involvement were compared. RESULTS: Among the 175 included patients, 32 (18%) had metabolic bone involvement of sarcoidosis. The metabolic bone involvement was mainly axial and mostly without bone abnormalities on CT. Metabolic bone involvement was associated with intrathoracic and extrathoracic lymph node involvement and with a higher number of organs involved. Patients with metabolic bone involvement more frequently received corticosteroids, methotrexate and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors and a higher number of treatments. Relapse of sarcoidosis occurred sooner in patients with metabolic bone involvement. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that metabolic bone involvement is associated with more diffuse and more severe sarcoidosis.

Performance of the 2019 ESC/EASD guideline strategy for the screening of silent coronary artery disease in patients with diabetes.

BACKGROUND: The 2019 guidelines for cardiovascular risk stratification by the European Society of Cardiology and European Association for the Study of Diabetes (ESC-EASD) suggested screening for silent coronary disease in very high risk patients with severe target organ damage (TOD) (i.e. peripheral occlusive arterial disease or severe nephropathy) or high coronary artery calcium (CAC) score. This study aimed to test the validity of this strategy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included 385 asymptomatic patients with diabetes and no history of coronary disease but with TOD or ≥ 3 risk factors in addition to diabetes. CAC score was measured using computed tomography scan and a stress myocardial scintigraphy was performed to detect silent myocardial ischemia (SMI), with subsequent coronary angiography in those with SMI. Various strategies to select patients to be screened for SMI were tested. RESULTS: CAC score was ≥ 100 Agatston units (AU) in 175 patients (45.5%). SMI was present in 39 patients (10.1%) and among the 30 patients who underwent angiography, 15 had coronary stenoses and 12 had a revascularization procedure. The most effective strategy consisted in performing myocardial scintigraphy in the 146 patients with severe TOD and, among the 239 other patients without severe TOD, in those with CAC ≥ 100 AU: this strategy provided 82% sensitivity for SMI diagnosis, and identified all the patients with stenoses. CONCLUSION: The ESC-EASD guidelines suggesting SMI screening in asymptomatic patients with very high risk assessed by severe TOD or high CAC score appears effective and could identify all the patients with stenoses eligible for revascularization.

An [18F]FDG-PET/CT deep learning method for fully automated detection of pathological mediastinal lymph nodes in lung cancer patients.

PURPOSE: The identification of pathological mediastinal lymph nodes is an important step in the staging of lung cancer, with the presence of metastases significantly affecting survival rates. Nodes are currently identified by a physician, but this process is time-consuming and prone to errors. In this paper, we investigate the use of artificial intelligence-based methods to increase the accuracy and consistency of this process. METHODS: Whole-body 18F-labelled fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]FDG-PET/CT) scans (Philips Gemini TF) from 134 patients were retrospectively analysed. The thorax was automatically located, and then slices were fed into a U-Net to identify candidate regions. These regions were split into overlapping 3D cubes, which were individually predicted as positive or negative using a 3D CNN. From these predictions, pathological mediastinal nodes could be identified. A second cohort of 71 patients was then acquired from a different, newer scanner (GE Discovery MI), and the performance of the model on this dataset was tested with and without transfer learning. RESULTS: On the test set from the first scanner, our model achieved a sensitivity of 0.87 (95% confidence intervals [0.74, 0.94]) with 0.41 [0.22, 0.71] false positives/patient. This was comparable to the performance of an expert. Without transfer learning, on the test set from the second scanner, the corresponding results were 0.53 [0.35, 0.70] and 0.24 [0.10, 0.49], respectively. With transfer learning, these metrics were 0.88 [0.73, 0.97] and 0.69 [0.43, 1.04], respectively. CONCLUSION: Model performance was comparable to that of an expert on data from the same scanner. With transfer learning, the model can be applied to data from a different scanner. To our knowledge it is the first study of its kind to go directly from whole-body [18F]FDG-PET/CT scans to pathological mediastinal lymph node localisation.

Epicardial adipose tissue volume and myocardial ischemia in asymptomatic people living with diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is considered a novel diagnostic marker for cardiometabolic disease. This study aimed to evaluate whether EAT volume was associated with stress-induced myocardial ischemia in asymptomatic people living with diabetes-independently of confounding factors-and whether it could predict this condition. METHODS: We included asymptomatic patients with diabetes and no coronary history, who had undergone both a stress a myocardial scintigraphy to diagnose myocardial ischemia, and a computed tomography to measure their coronary artery calcium (CAC) score. EAT volume was retrospectively measured from computed tomography imaging. Determinants of EAT volume and asymptomatic myocardial ischemia were evaluated. RESULTS: The study population comprised 274 individuals, including 153 men. Mean (± standard deviation) age was 62 ± 9 years, and 243, 23 and 8 had type 2, type 1, or another type of diabetes, respectively. Mean body mass index was 30 ± 6 kg/m2, and mean EAT volume 96 ± 36 cm3. Myocardial ischemia was detected in 32 patients (11.7%). EAT volume was positively correlated with age, body mass index and triglyceridemia, but negatively correlated with HbA1c, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol levels. Furthermore, EAT volume was lower in people with retinopathy, but higher in men, in current smokers, in patients with nephropathy, those with a CAC score > 100 Agatston units, and finally in individuals with myocardial ischemia (110 ± 37 cm3 vs 94 ± 37 cm3 in those without myocardial ischemia, p < 0.05). The association between EAT volume and myocardial ischemia remained significant after adjustment for gender, diabetes duration, peripheral macrovascular disease and CAC score. We also found that area under the ROC curve analysis showed that EAT volume (AROC: 0.771 [95% confidence interval 0.683-0.858]) did not provide improved discrimination of myocardial ischemia over the following classic factors: gender, diabetes duration, peripheral macrovascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, smoking, atherogenic dyslipidemia, and CAC score (AROC 0.773 [0.683-0.862]). CONCLUSIONS: EAT may play a role in coronary atherosclerosis and coronary circulation in patients with diabetes. However, considering EAT volume is not a better marker for discriminating the risk of asymptomatic myocardial ischemia than classic clinical data.

Thoracic aorta involvement in giant cell arteritis: a case-control analysis of morphological data at diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a cause of potentially fatal aortic aneurysms. Descriptive data on thoracic aorta measurements at the beginning of the disease are lacking. We aimed to compare aortic diameters between a recently diagnosed GCA population and an age- and sex-matched control group. METHODS: Patients with GCA and with an available thoracic CT concomitant with diagnosis were included. Controls were patients matched for age and sex and hospitalised in the same care centre for pneumonia. The main criteria were the anteroposterior and lateral diameters of the ascending thoracic aorta, which were measured by a blinded evaluator. RESULTS: 90 cases and 90 controls were included. Each group comprised 30 males and 60 females for a mean age of 75.1±9 and 75.7±10.1 years old. At the time of GCA diagnosis no difference was found between the two groups (anteroposterior diameter 37.1±5 mm for cases vs. 36.7±5 mm for controls, p=0.6; lateral diameter 36.6±5 mm for cases vs. 35.9±4 mm for controls, p=0.3). Thoracic aorta diameter was not significantly higher in patients with aortitis at diagnosis (n=44) than in cases without aortitis (n=46). CONCLUSIONS: Morphologic comparison of thoracic aorta at diagnosis of GCA with an age- and sex-matched control population showed no significant difference. Morphologic evaluation of aorta cannot predict accurately the occurrence of aortic aneurysm. Systematic follow-up according to current recommendations is thus justified.

Ischemic stroke in giant-cell arteritis: French retrospective study.

Acute cerebrovascular ischemic events are a rare and severe complication of giant cell arteritis (GCA). We aimed to determine the prevalence of GCA-related stroke, the overall survival and the relapse-free survival in patients with GCA. A multicentric retrospective analysis was performed on 129 patients with GCA diagnosed between September 2010 and October 2018 in two University Hospitals. Among 129 GCA patients, 18 (16%) presented an acute ischemic cerebrovascular event. Patients with stroke were older (83 [67-96] years versus 76 [58-96]; p = 0.014) and more frequently males (61% versus 30%; p = 0.014) than those without stroke. The frequency of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy was higher in patients with stroke (n = 6, 33%) than patients without stroke (n = 12, 11%)(p = 0.02). Overall survival was significantly decreased in GCA patients with stroke (4.4 months), comparatively to patients without stroke (221.7 months; log rank test = 0.006). The 3-years relapse-free survival was decreased in patients with stroke (8.42 versus78.0 months; log rank = 0.0001), as well as the time with sustained remission (78 versus 139 months; log rank test = 0.0004). This study shows the prevalence and risk factors of ischemic stroke in GCA.

Is there a role for a handheld gamma camera (TReCam) in the SNOLL breast cancer procedure?

BACKGROUND: Sentinel node and occult lesion localization (SNOLL) calls for a combination of two specific procedures: intraoperative detection of sentinel lymph node (SLN) and radio-guided occult lesion localization (ROLL). The safety and benefits of radio-guided localization in the surgical treatment of non-palpable breast cancer have been confirmed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role for an intra-operative handheld tumor resection gamma camera (TReCam) in SNOLL procedures. METHODS: Fifteen patients were enrolled. The SNOLL procedure was performed in all patients with conventional lymphoscintigraphy (LS). TReCam was used to obtain nuclear imaging in the operating theater. Concordance between LS and TReCam images, duration of use and assessment of difficulties in data acquisition with TReCam were reported. RESULTS: Concordance for tumor localization between single-detector gamma probe and TReCam was excellent (15/15). The number of radioactive SLNs visualized between LS and TReCam was equivalent in 53.3% of cases (8/15). TReCam was considered to be very easy-to-use (12/15) or easy-to-use (3/15). Average duration of acquisition with TReCam was 4 minutes and 45 seconds for the SLN procedure, and 2 minutes and 10 seconds for lumpectomy. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that TReCam is easy-to-use and does not increase operative time. Its exact role in radio-guided surgery needs to be clearly defined in a larger study. However, its usefulness and benefits in radio-guided breast surgery seem to be promising.

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography with 18F-fluorocholine improve tumor staging and treatment allocation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) staging according to the Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification is based on conventional imaging. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of dual-tracer 18F-fluorocholine and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) on tumor staging and treatment allocation. METHODS: A total of 192 dual-tracer PET/CT scans (18F-fluorocholine and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT) were performed in 177 patients with HCC. BCLC staging and treatment proposal were retrospectively collected based on conventional imaging, along with any new lesions detected, and changes in BCLC classification or treatment allocation based on dual-tracer PET/CT. RESULTS: Patients were primarily men (87.5%) with cirrhosis (71%) due to alcohol ±â€¯non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (26%), viral infection (62%) or unknown causes (12%). Among 122 patients with PET/CT performed for staging, BCLC stage based on conventional imaging was 0/A in 61 patients (50%), B in 32 patients (26%) and C in 29 patients (24%). Dual-tracer PET/CT detected new lesions in 26 patients (21%), upgraded BCLC staging in 14 (11%) and modified treatment strategy in 17 (14%). In addition, dual-tracer PET/CT modified the final treatment in 4/9 (44%) patients with unexplained elevation of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), 10/25 patients (40%) with doubtful lesions on conventional imaging and 3/36 patients (8%) waiting for liver transplantation without active HCC after tumor response following bridging therapy. CONCLUSION: When used for HCC staging, dual-tracer PET/CT enabled BCLC upgrading and treatment modification in 11% and 14% of patients, respectively. Dual-tracer PET/CT might also be useful in specific situations (an unexplained rise in AFP, doubtful lesions or pre-transplant evaluation of patients without active HCC). LAY SUMMARY: Using a combination of tracers 18F-fluorocholine and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose when performing positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), often called a PET scan, helps to identify new tumor lesions in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This technique enabled staging modification of patients' tumors and led to changes in treatment allocation in certain patients.

Efficacy of tocilizumab highlighted by FDG-PET/CT in a patient with relapsing polychondritis-associated aortitis.

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare systemic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the ears, nose and tracheobronchial tree cartilage, but also the cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular complications are the second cause of mortality in RP. We report the case of a woman with a corticosteroid-resistant RP-associated aortitis, who was successfully treated with tocilizumab (TCZ). The FDG-PET/CT was a useful tool for diagnosing aortitis and assessing the effect of biotherapy. We conducted a systematic literature review confirming this is the first case of rapid and sustained remission in a patient with corticosteroid-resistant RP-associated aortitis after TCZ treatment administered as a first-line immunotherapy. However, further studies are needed to confirm the beneficial effect of TCZ used in this life-threatening condition.

Fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT volume-based indices in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: prediction of residual viable tumor after induction chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To study whether volume-based indices of fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomographic (PET)/computed tomographic (CT) imaging is an accurate tool to predict the amount of residual viable tumor after induction chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by institutional review board with waivers of informed consent. Twenty-two patients with locally advanced NSCLC underwent surgery after induction chemotherapy. All had pre- and posttreatment FDG PET/CT scans. CT largest diameter, CT volume, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), mean SUV (SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume (TV), and total lesion glycolysis of primary tumor were calculated. Changes in tumor measurements were determined by dividing follow-up by baseline measurement (ratio index). Amounts of residual viable tumor, necrosis, fibrous tissue, inflammatory infiltrate, and Ki-67 proliferative index were estimated on resected tumor. Correlations between imaging indices and histologic parameters were estimated by using Spearman correlation coefficients or Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: No baseline or posttreatment indices correlated with percentage of residual viable tumor. TV ratio was the only index that correlated with percentage of residual viable tumor (r = 0.61 [95% confidence interval: 0.24, 0.81]; P = .003). Conversely, SUVmax and SUVmean ratios were only indices correlated with Ki-67 (r = 0.62 [95% confidence interval: 0.24, 0.82]; P = .003; and r = 0.60 [95% confidence interval: 0.21, 0.81]; P = .004, respectively). Total lesion glycolysis ratio was moderately correlated with residual viable tumor (r = 0.53 [95% confidence interval: 0.13, 0.78]; P = .01) and with Ki-67 (r = 0.57 [95% confidence interval: 0.18, 0.80]; P = .006). No ratios were correlated with presence of inflammatory infiltrate or foamy macrophages. CONCLUSION: TV and total lesion glycolysis ratios were the only indices correlated with residual viable tumor after induction chemotherapy in locally advanced NSCLC.

Clinical presentation of sarcoidosis and diagnostic work-up.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease of unknown cause characterized by the formation of immune granulomas which most often involve the lung and the lymphatic system. Sarcoidosis may encompass numerous different clinical presentations. Typical presentations often prompt a rapid diagnosis while in 25 to 50% of cases, diverse and less typical presentations may lead to delayed diagnosis. The mediastinopulmonary sphere is involved in 85 to 95% of cases, associated with extrapulmonary localizations in half of cases while extrapulmonary localizations without lung involvement may be seen in 5 to 15% of cases. Bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy is the most typical sign at chest radiography. Computed tomography (CT) is essential face for atypical manifestations of the disease to avoid confusion with differential diagnoses and, sometimes, comorbidities. CT typically evidences diffuse pulmonary perilymphatic micronodules, with a perilobular and fissural distribution and upper and posterior predominance, even when an atypical CT pattern is predominant. CT allows deciphering pulmonary lesions in cases of pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and airflow limitation. Pulmonary function tests generally correlate with the overall disease process. Forced vital capacity is the simplest and most accurate parameter to reflect the impact of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing helps in understanding the mechanism behind dyspnea of uncertain origin. Endoscopic transbronchial needle aspiration is an extra tool to support diagnosis in addition to more classical biopsy means. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) may be used for individual patients while it is not really decisive for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis for most patients. Diagnosis relies on compatible clinical and radiological presentation, evidence of noncaseating granulomas and exclusion of other diseases with a similar presentation or histology. The probability of diagnosis at presentation is variable from case to case and may often be reinforced with time. Some investigations are mandatory at diagnosis to assess organ involvement and disease activity. However, there are important variations in diagnostic work-up due to diverse expressions of sarcoidosis and differences in clinical practices among physicians.

Prognostic implications of volume-based measurements on FDG PET/CT in stage III non-small-cell lung cancer after induction chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: We sought to determine whether metabolic volume-based measurements on FDG PET/CT scans could provide additional information for predicting outcome in patients with stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with induction chemotherapy. METHODS: Included in the study were 32 patients with stage III NSCLC who were treated with induction platinum-based chemotherapy followed in 21 by surgery. All patients had an FDG PET/CT scan before and after the induction chemotherapy. Tumours were delineated using adaptive threshold methods. The SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean, tumour volume (TV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), and volume and largest diameter on the CT images (CTV and CTD, respectively) were calculated. Index ratios of the primary tumour were calculated by dividing the follow-up measurements by the baseline measurements. The prognostic value of each parameter for event-free survival (EFS) was determined using Cox regression models. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 19 months (range 6-43 months). Baseline PET and CT parameters were not significant prognostic factors. After induction therapy, only SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean, TV, TLG and CTV were prognostic factors for EFS, in contrast to CTD. Of the index ratios, only TV and TLG ratios were prognostic factors for EFS. Patients with a TLG ratio <0.48 had a longer EFS than those with a TLG ratio >0.48 (13.9 vs. 9.2 months, p = 0.04). After adjustment for the effect of surgical treatment, all the parameters significantly correlated with EFS remained significant. CONCLUSION: SUV, metabolic volume-based indices, and CTV after induction chemotherapy give independent prognostic information in stage III NSCLC. However, changes in metabolic TV and TLG under induction treatment provide more accurate prognostic information than SUV alone, and CTD and CTV.

Carbodiimide versus click chemistry for nanoparticle surface functionalization: a comparative study for the elaboration of multimodal superparamagnetic nanoparticles targeting αvß3 integrins.

Superparamagnetic fluorescent nanoparticles targeting αvß3 integrins were elaborated using two methodologies: carbodiimide coupling and click chemistries (CuACC and thiol-yne). The nanoparticles are first functionalized with hydroxymethylenebisphonates (HMBP) bearing carboxylic acid or alkyne functions. Then, a large number of these reactives functions were used for the covalent coupling of dyes, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and cyclic RGD. Several methods were used to characterize the nanoparticle surface functionalization, and the magnetic properties of these contrast agents were studied using a 1.5 T clinical MRI. The affinity toward integrins was evidenced by solid-phase receptor-binding assay. In addition to their chemoselective natures, click reactions were shown to be far more efficient than the carbodiimide coupling. The grafting increase was shown to enhance targeting affinity to integrin without imparing MRI and fluorescent properties.

Clinical value of a high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet before FDG-PET/CT for evaluation of patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that a high-fat and low-carbohydrate (HFLC) diet before FDG-PET/CT could identify patients with active cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). METHODS: Fifty-eight sarcoidosis patients with a suspicion of CS consumed a HFLC diet before FDG-PET/CT. Clinical, electrical, and other imaging investigations were compared to PET results. RESULTS: Using Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare (JMHW) criteria as a gold standard, 21% (12/58) of patients had a CS. Sensitivity and specificity of PET (visual analysis) were 83% (10/12) and 78% (36/46), respectively, with a very good interobserver agreement (k = 0.86). 70% (7/10) of the patients with a positive PET and negative JMHW criteria exhibited abnormalities suggestive of CS either on MR (n = 3) or SPECT (n = 4). Comparison with the presence of delayed enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging helped to classify patients with active (PET positive) or non-active CS (PET negative). In addition, when MR and PET were both negative, none of the patients met the JMHW criteria. PET response under treatment was concordant with clinical evolution in 11/13 patients. CONCLUSIONS: FDG-PET/CT after HFLC diet is a sensitive tool for the diagnosis of active CS. Combined use of PET and MR is promising for the detection and characterization of CS lesions.

Adult-onset asthma associated with periocular xanthogranuloma: new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in a very rare systemic disease.

PURPOSE: To report some novel findings concerning the systemic manifestations and treatment of adult-onset asthma and periocular xanthogranuloma, a rare type of non-Langerhans histiocytosis that can lead to important visual dysfunction. METHODS: A retrospective case series of 2 patients was evaluated for orbital and systemic manifestations using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT and/or orbital MRI. Histological specimens were reviewed in all patients. Oral prednisone was initiated at 1 mg/kg daily and gradually tapered to a minimum effective dose. Efficacy was assessed on the basis of an objective observation of decreased swelling. RESULTS: One patient displayed original uptake foci involving intrathoracic lymphadenopathies, the trajectory of the paraumbilical vein and perirectal fat. Low-dose prednisone was able to induce a durable response in the authors' patients. CONCLUSIONS: Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT may be useful for the diagnostic workup and follow-up assessment of patients with adult-onset asthma and periocular xanthogranuloma. Oral corticosteroids can be used successfully as first-line treatment in such patients.

[Current applications of PET/CT]. / Indications de la tomographie par émission de positons: où en est-on?

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a sensitive method for detecting, staging, and therapy monitoring of many malignancies. It has modified the management of cancer. PET/CT allows for a "whole body" assessment of a metabolic process, depending on the type of tracer, combined with a CT scan. In the present article we review the different PET tracers available today and the most effective applications of PET-CT in oncology, but also in inflammatory diseases, heart diseases and dementia.

Aortitis PET Imaging in VEXAS Syndrome: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT: VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-LINKED, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome is a complex inflammatory disease associated with somatic mutations of the ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme 1 (UBA1) gene. A 75-year-old man with a medical history of thrombophlebitis, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, chronic inflammatory arthralgia, elevated inflammatory markers, and anemia was diagnosed with VEXAS syndrome. 18F-FDG PET/CT showed thoracic aortitis, a rare involvement during VEXAS syndrome. Corticosteroid therapy monitored with 18F-FDG PET/CT led to a complete metabolic response.