Limb arteries involvement assessed by FDG/PET CT at diagnosis of giant cell arteritis and risk of relapse: An observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Steroids and anti-IL6 biotherapy are highly effective in obtaining remission in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) but the risk of relapses remains high. We aimed to identify predictors of relapse in GCA. METHODS: All consecutive patients admitted with a new diagnosis of GCA - according to the 2022 American College of Rheumatology/EULAR (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria - between May 2011 and May 2022 were eligible for this study. The primary outcome was the GCA relapse rate over the 36-months follow up. Factors associated with the primary outcome and time to first relapse were analyzed. RESULTS: One hundred and eight patients (74 [69-81] years, 64.8% women) with a new diagnosis of GCA were studied. GCA was biopsy-proven in 65 (60.2%) cases. Ninety-eight (90.7%) FDG/PET CT scans performed at diagnosis were available for review. All patients received steroids given for 21.0 [18.0-28.5] months, associated with methotrexate (n=1, 0.9%) or tocilizumab (n=2, 1.9%). During a median follow-up of 27.5 [11.4-35.0] months, relapse occurred in 40 (37%) patients. Multivariable Cox regression model, including general signs, gender, aortic wall thickness, FDG uptake in arterial wall and IV steroid pulse as covariates, showed that both general signs (HR 2.0 [1.0-4.0, P<0.05) and FDG uptake in limb arteries (HR 2.7 [1.3-5.5], P<0.01) at diagnosis were associated with GCA relapse. CONCLUSION: FDG uptake in limb arteries at diagnosis is a predictor of relapse in newly diagnosed GCA.

Prognosis and follow-up of patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis treated conservatively in relation to WBC-SPECT imaging.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to evaluate in patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) treated conservatively, the prognostic value of white blood cell (WBC) signal intensity on SPECT and to describe the evolution of the WBC signal under antibiotics. METHODS: Patients with PVE treated conservatively and positive WBC-SPECT imaging were identified retrospectively. Signal intensity was classified as intense if equal to or higher, or mild if lower, than the liver signal. Clinical, biological, imaging and follow-up information were collected from medical files. RESULTS: Among 47 patients, WBC signal was classified as intense in 10 patients and as mild, in 37. The incidence of the primary composite endpoint (death, late cardiac surgery, or relapse) was significantly higher in patients with intense vs. mild signal (90% vs. 11%). Twenty-five patients underwent a second WBC-SPECT imaging during follow-up. The prevalence of WBC signal decreased progressively from 89% between 3 and 6 weeks to 42% between 6 and 9 weeks and 8% more than 9 weeks after initiation of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with PVE treated conservatively, intense WBC signal was associated with poor outcome. WBC-SPECT imaging appears as an interesting tool for risk stratification and to monitor locally the efficacy of antibiotic treatment.

FDG PET/CT Imaging of Sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. The diagnostic can be made by histological identification of non-caseous granuloma or by a combination of clinical criteria. Active inflammatory granuloma can lead to fibrotic damage. Although 50% of cases resolve spontaneously, systemic treatments are often necessary to decrease symptoms and avoid permanent organ dysfunction, notably in cardiac sarcoidosis. The course of the disease can be punctuated by exacerbations and relapses and the prognostic depends mainly on affected sites and patient management. FDG-PET/CT along with newer FDG-PET/MR have emerged as key imaging modalities in sarcoidosis, namely for certain diagnostic purposes, staging and biopsy guiding. By identifying with a high sensitivity inflammatory active granuloma, FDG hybrid imaging is a main prognostic tool and therapeutic ally in sarcoidosis. This review aims to highlight the actual critical roles of hybrid PET imaging in sarcoidosis and display a brief perspective for the future which appears to include other radiotracers and artificial intelligence applications.

Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in polymyalgia rheumatica: an observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disease with a diagnosis that is sometimes difficult to establish. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) might be helpful. We analysed the usefulness of 18F-FDG PET/CT for the diagnosis of PMR. METHODS: This was an observational retrospective study of individuals with PMR who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT and a control group. We assessed clinical and 18F-FDG PET/CT characteristics. Sixteen sites were studied. The number of sites with significant FDG uptake, the mean maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) and the highest SUVmax value were assessed for each patient. RESULTS: Data for 123 patients with PMR (37 with corticosteroids [CSTs] use) were analysed; 85 had new-onset PMR. As compared with the 75 controls, patients with new-onset PMR had higher mean ± SD number of sites with significant FDG uptake (11.3 ± 3.3 vs. 0.9 ± 1.1, p<0.001) and higher SUVmax scores (p<0.001). A cut-off of 5 hypermetabolic sites provided sensitivity of 96.5% and specificity 100%. For the total SUVmax score, a cut-off of 3 had the best sensitivity (92.6%) and specificity (86.1%). As compared with PMR patients using CSTs, those who were CST-naive had significantly higher CRP level (p<0.001), number of sites with significant FDG uptake (p<0.001) and SUVmax scores (p<0.01). In contrast, large-vessel vasculitis was more frequent in patients receiving CSTs than CST-naive patients (27% vs. 8%, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The number of hypermetabolic sites or SUVmax quantification might be useful for PMR diagnosis, and CSTs might affect the results of 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Musculoskeletal Tuberculosis: New Insights on Diagnosis Strategy and Treatment.

BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVE: Skeletal tuberculosis (TB) is rare. We aimed to report on diagnostic strategy and treatment of skeletal TB. METHODS: In this multidisciplinary single-center medical records review study, all adult patients admitted between January 2009 and December 2019 with microbiologically proven skeletal TB were included. Demographic, medical history, laboratory, imaging, pathologic findings, treatment, and follow-up data were extracted from medical records. RESULTS: Among 184 patients identified with TB, 21 (16 women, 42 years [27, 48 years]) had skeletal involvement. Skeletal TB included spondylitis (n = 11), lytic bone lesions (n = 7), sacroiliitis (n = 5), arthritis (n = 3), osteitis (n = 2), and diffuse muscle abscesses without bone lesion (n = 1). Lytic lesions involved both axial and peripheral skeleton at multiple sites in most cases. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography was performed in 13 patients and helped to detect multifocal asymptomatic lesions and to target biopsy. All patients were treated with anti-TB therapy for 7 to 18 months. Fifteen patients (71.4%) received steroids as an adjunct therapy. Eleven patients needed an orthopedic immobilization corset, and 3 patients underwent surgery. All patients clinically improved under treatment, but 2 relapsed over a median follow-up of 24 months (12-30 months). No patient died or suffered long-term disabilities. CONCLUSION: Our study emphasizes the diversity of skeletal involvement in TB. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scanner at diagnosis is key to assess the extension of skeletal involvement and guide extraskeletal biopsy. Neurological complications might be prevented by adding corticosteroids to anti-TB therapy.

Diagnosis and staging of cardiac masses: additional value of CMR with 18F-FDG-PET compared to CMR with CECT.

PURPOSE: Characterization of malignant cardiac masses is usually performed with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and staging with whole-body contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). In this study, our objective was to evaluate the role of 18Fluor-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) with CMR for both characterization and staging of cardiac masses. METHODS: Patients with cardiac masses who underwent CMR, CECT, and 18F-FDG-PET were retrospectively identified. For the characterization of cardiac masses, we calculated the respective performances of CMR alone, 18F-FDG-PET alone, and the combination of 18F-FDG-PET and CMR. For staging, we compared head-to-head the respective performances of 18F-FDG-PET and CECT. Histology served as gold standard for malignancy, and response to anticoagulation for thrombus. RESULTS: In a total of 28 patients (median age 60.5 years, 60.7% women), CMR accurately distinguished malignant from benign masses with sensitivity (Se) of 86.7%, specificity (Sp) of 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 86.7%, and accuracy of 92.9%. 18F-FDG-PET demonstrated 93.3% Se, 84.6% Sp, 87.5% PPV, 91.7% NPV, and 89.3% accuracy. Combining CMR with 18F-FDG-PET allowed to benefit from the high sensitivity of 18F-FDG-PET (92.9%) and the excellent specificity of CMR (100%) for malignant diseases. For staging, 18F-FDG-PET outperformed CECT on per-patient (66.7% vs 55.6% correct diagnosis, respectively), per-organ (10 vs 7 organs, respectively), and per-lesion basis (> 29 vs > 25 lesions, respectively). CONCLUSION: Combining 18F-FDG-PET with CMR improved the characterization of cardiac masses compared to each modality alone. Additionally, the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG-PET was better than CECT for staging. This study suggests that the combination of CMR and 18F-FDG-PET is the most effective for the characterization of cardiac masses and the staging of these lesions.

Diagnostic performance of White Blood Cell SPECT imaging against intra-operative findings in patients with a suspicion of prosthetic valve endocarditis.

AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of white blood cells (WBC)-SPECT imaging in patients with suspicion of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) against intra-operative findings. METHODS: 36 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery 30 days after WBC-SPECT imaging were identified retrospectively. Clinical, imaging, and biological results were collected from reports. WBC-SPECT results were classified as positive or negative and, if positive, the intensity of signal graded as intense or mild. Lesions observed during cardiac surgery were collected from surgeons' reports. RESULTS: The 20 patients with positive WBC-SPECT study had confirmed PVE intra-operatively. Patients with intense signal on WBC-SPECT had high prevalence of abscesses (83%) compared to patients with only mild signal (12%). The three patients with negative WBC-SPECT but confirmed PVE had longer duration of antibiotic treatment before imaging and had no perivalvular abscess. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative values, and accuracy of WBC-SPECT were measured at 87%, 100%, 100%, 81%, and 92%, respectively. Addition of WBC-SPECT results to the modified Duke score helped re-classify correctly 25% of patients from possible to definite PVE. CONCLUSION: In patients with suspicion of PVE, WBC-SPECT imaging provides excellent diagnostic performance against intra-operative findings.

[ 18 F]FDG Positron Emission Tomography for Initial Staging and Healing Assessment at the End of Therapy in Lymph Nodes and Bone Tuberculosis.

Objective: In extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, therapeutic management is difficult in the absence of reliable tool to affirm healing at the end of treatment. In this prospective multicenter study, we evaluated [18F]FDG-PET for this purpose. Methods: Forty-two patients out of 55 included patients could be analyzed. Additionally to usual biological, histological and morphological explorations, [18F]FDG-PET was performed at diagnosis (PET1), at the end of treatment (PET2), indeed 6 months later. Then patients were followed until 12 months after end of prescribed treatment. Results: PET1 was positive in 97.6% of patients and discovered unknown injured sites in 52.7% of cases. PET2 was positive in 83.3% of uncured patients, and in 82.3% of cured patients. The sum and mean value of SUVmax measured in PET/CT lesions decreased between PET1 and PET2 in all patients. Mean value of SUVmax (MSUV) and sum value of SUVmax on PET2 showed the highest AUC on ROC curves for the diagnosis of healing at the end of prescribed treatment; MSUV 3.5 on PET2 had a sensitivity of 76.5% and a specificity of 80.0% to affirm healing at the end of prescribed treatment. Conclusions: [18F]FDG-PET/CT was useful at diagnosis, discovering unknown lesions in 52.7% of cases. MSUV on PET2 was the best criteria to affirm healing at the end of prescribed treatment.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue with cardiac metastasis on 18F-FDG PET/CT: A case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: The most common malignancies metastasizing to the heart are cancers of the lung, breast, mesothelioma, melanoma, leukemia, and lymphoma. Cardiac metastasis from a tongue cancer is a rare finding and only a few cases have been reported previously in the literature. In this case report and literature review, we discuss the main clinical features of patients with cardiac metastases secondary to a tongue cancer and imaging modalities performed, especially the 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT). PATIENT CONCERNS: This is a case of a 39-year-old woman who in April 2018 was diagnosed with an invasive well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the movable tongue. She underwent a left hemiglossectomy followed by a revision of hemiglossectomy and ipsilateral selective neck lymph nodes dissection levels II to III because of pathological margins. An early inoperable clinical recurrence was diagnosed and she received radiochemotherapy with good clinical and metabolic response. She remained asymptomatic thereafter. DIAGNOSIS: In January 2020, a pre-scheduled 18F-FDG PET/CT showed a diffuse cardiac involvement. In February 2020, a biopsy of the lesion revealed a metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. INTERVENTIONS: She was deemed to not be a cardiac surgical candidate and treated by palliative chemotherapy: taxol-carboplatin associated with cetuximab then cetuximab alone because of adverse effects. A re-evaluation imaging performed in April 2020 evidenced a progression of the cardiac involvement, which led to switch chemotherapy by immunotherapy with nivolumab. OUTCOMES: This patient had a very poor prognosis and succumbed to major heart failure 4 months after the diagnosis of cardiac metastasis. CONCLUSION: In this case report, 18F-FDG PET/CT proved to be useful in detecting cardiac metastasis and changed the therapeutic management of the patient. It suggests that patients with tongue malignancies in a context of poor initial prognosis should be followed-up early by 18F-FDG PET/CT with HFLC diet to facilitate detection of recurrence.

Management of patients with myocardial tuberculosis: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial Tuberculosis (MT) is exceedingly rare. We aimed to report on myocardial involvement in tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: All adult patients admitted in a department of Internal Medicine over an 8-year period with microbiologically proven MT were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic, medical history, laboratory, imaging, pathologic findings, treatment, and follow-up data were extracted from medical records. RESULTS: Six patients (4 women, 37.6 [21.3-62.1] years) with MT were identified. MT included cardiac mass (n = 1), coronaritis (n = 1), left ventricle spontaneous rupture (n = 1) and myocarditis (n = 3). Pericardial effusion was associated with myocardial involvement in 2 cases. Four patients presented with acute heart failure. CRP serum level was high in all cases. The mean delay between the first symptoms and TB diagnosis was of 6 [1-44] months. The time from admission to diagnosis was of 18 (9-28) days. No patient had human immunodeficiency virus infection. Fluorodeoxyglucose - positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) detected extra-cardiac asymptomatic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection localization and guided biopsy in 5 cases. As compared to TB patients without cardiac involvement, patients with MT were younger and more frequently women. All patients received antituberculosis therapy for 7.5 to 12 months associated with steroids for at least 6 weeks. Cardiac surgery was required in all but one patient. No patient died over a median follow-up of 1.2 [0.2-4.4] years. CONCLUSION: Our study emphasizes the clinical spectrum of life-threatening MT. Early diagnosis using FDG-PET imaging to target biopsy in extra-cardiac tissues and combined treatment strategy associating antituberculosis therapy, corticosteroids and surgery prevent complications and death.

Infliximab use for corticosteroid-resistant tuberculosis immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) in an immunocompetent patient.

In non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, tuberculosis (TB) immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is unusual. The management of corticosteroids-refractory IRIS is unclear. We report on infliximab efficacy for treatment of corticosteroid-resistant TB-IRIS occurring in an immunocompetent patient.

Diffuse Hypermetabolic Bone Marrow Infiltration in Severe Primary Hyperoxaluria on FDG PET.

A 24-year-old man, with type 1 primary hyperoxaluria (diagnosed at age 20 years after repeated renal lithiasis, due to a I244T mutation frequently encountered in Mediterranean countries) complicated by end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis, was admitted for pancytopenia, refractory to erythropoietin injections. On clinical examination, he presented a hepatosplenomegaly without palpable adenopathy. F-FDG PET/CT revealed intense and diffuse bone marrow uptake in the axial skeleton and preferential long bone metaphyseal uptake. Bone marrow aspiration showed Gaucher-like cells infiltration due to oxalate accumulation in macrophages, leading to the diagnosis of bone marrow involvement by primary hyperoxaluria.

18F-FDG PET/CT in bone sarcoidosis: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Bone sarcoidosis is usually rare. Imaging procedures such as fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) can reveal bone sarcoidosis with better sensitivity than conventional radiography. We aimed to describe bone sarcoidosis involvement detected with 18F-FDG PET/CT. METHODS: This was an observational retrospective study of individuals with pulmonary sarcoidosis who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT. According to the ATS/ERS/WASOG criteria, sarcoidosis was diagnosed by the presence of clinical and/or imaging features of sarcoidosis and evidence of non-caseating epithelioid granulomas on a biopsy. We assessed clinical and 18F-FDG PET/CT characteristics. RESULTS: Data for 85 patients with sarcoidosis (56.5% female, median age 47 [range 21-80] years) were analyzed. The median follow-up was 4 years. Among 56 patients, sarcoidosis occurred in more than three organs. According to ATS/ERS/WASOG criteria, bone sarcoidosis was diagnosed in 12 (14%) patients. The spine was the most commonly affected location (92%, n = 11), followed by the pelvis (67%, n = 8), sternum (33%, n = 4), humerus (25%, n = 3), and fingers (17%, n = 2). Only peripheral adenopathy was associated with bone sarcoidosis (p = 0.04). Seven patients had a 18F-FDG PET/CT follow-up, all showing a decrease of bone lesions. CONCLUSION: Bone sarcoidosis occurred in 14% of patients with sarcoidosis, affecting multiple bones and mostly the axial skeleton. 18F-FDG PET/CT seems a sensitive tool for diagnosis and follow-up of bone sarcoidosis.

Diagnostic Impact of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography and White Blood Cell SPECT/Computed Tomography in Patients With Suspected Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Chronic Infection.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) chronic infection diagnosis is challenging because the clinical presentation is frequently misleading and echocardiography may be inconclusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (CT) and radiolabeled white blood cells single photon emission CT/CT in a cohort of patients who underwent both scans for suspicion of CIED infection and inconclusive routine investigations. METHODS: Forty-eight consecutive patients with suspicion of CIED infection who underwent both 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT and white blood cell single photon emission CT/CT in a time span ≤30 days were retrospectively included. The final diagnosis of CIED infection by the endocarditis expert team was based on the modified Duke-Li classification at the end of follow-up. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT and white blood cell single photon emission CT/CT scans were independently analyzed blinded to the patients' medical record. RESULTS: In the overall study population, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were respectively 80%, 91%, 80%, and 91% for 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT and 60%, 100%, 100%, and 85% for white blood cell single photon emission CT/CT. Addition of a positive nuclear imaging scan as a major criterion markedly improved the Duke-Li classification at admission. Semiquantitative parameters did not allow to discriminate between definite and rejected CIED infection. Prolonged antibiotic therapy before imaging tended to decrease the sensitivity for both techniques. CONCLUSIONS: Nuclear imaging can improve the diagnostic performances of the Duke-Li score at admission in a selected population of patients with suspected CIED infection, particularly when the infection was initially graded as possible. Whenever possible, imaging should be performed before or early after antibiotic initiation.

Persistent FDG/PET CT uptake in idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis helps identifying patients at a higher risk for relapse.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of persistent retroperitoneal fibrosis FDG uptake using FDG/PET CT in patients with idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis (IRF). METHODS: In this monocentric retrospective cohort study, all patients admitted for IRF from January 2009 to December 2017 underwent a FDG/PET CT at diagnosis and during follow up. Metabolic activity of IRF was assessed by retroperitoneal fibrosis FDG uptake measured as maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax). The primary outcome was IRF relapse rate during follow-up. RESULTS: 23 consecutive patients (54.7 [36.9-89] years, 73.9% of men) diagnosed with IRF had FDG/PET CT imaging performed at diagnosis, 3.1 [1-8.7] months (i.e 1st evaluation) and 10.4 [4.9-17.5] months (i.e 2nd evaluation) after diagnosis. High FDG retroperitoneal fibrosis uptake was present in all patients at diagnosis (SUVmax 6.5 [3.8-11.9]) and persisted in 16 (69.6%; SUVmax 3.65 [2.1-5.4]) and 12 (52.2%; SUVmax 3.75 [2.7-7.8]) patients, at 1st and 2nd evaluation respectively. All but one patient had received steroids at IRF diagnosis and 21 (91.3%) were in complete remission at both 1st and 2nd evaluation. During a median follow-up period of 38.7 [3-106.9] months, 6 (26.1%) patients suffered IRF relapse that occurred 15.7 [9.2-42.8] months after diagnosis. Multivariate analysis showed that only persistent retroperitoneal fibrosis FDG uptake at 2nd evaluation was associated with IRF relapse (p = .046). CONCLUSIONS: In IRF, persistent retroperitoneal fibrosis FDG uptake during follow up is associated with clinical outcome. FDG/PET CT may help to better stratify the risk of relapse and target therapy in IRF.