Angiology: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

18F-FDG-PET/CT Plays a Key Role in Formulating Treatment Strategies for Takayasu Arteritis

Qing Han, Xiang Zhou, Jie Han, Jin Ding, Fei Kang, Kui Zhang, Junfeng Jia, Qiang Liang, Zhaohui Zheng*, Jing Wang* and Ping Zhu*

Objective: Compare the clinical data and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging results of patients with Takayasu Arteritis (TAK) with active disease or who are in clinical remission.

Methods: Forty TAK patients (8 with active disease, 32 in remission) were studied. Intravenous ¹⁸F-FDG was administered for imaging, and increased ¹⁸F-FDG uptake was considered positive.

Results: All patients in both groups tested positive for TAK based on ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging. The active disease group had a higher TAK NIH score, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), and level of C Reactive Protein (CRP) (all P<0.001), but the two groups had similar sex ratios, age, and disease duration. Quantitative analysis of changes in the mean standard uptake value (SUV_mean) and the maximum SUV (SUV_max) of 40 patients when they had active disease and when they were in clinical remission showed there was an insignificant decrease in SUV_max (2.16 ± 0.46 vs. 2.08 ± 0.49, P=0.56) and an insignificant increase of SUV_mean (2.34 ± 0.57 vs. 2.42 ± 0.81, P=0.46). However, the arterial SUV_max was higher in patients with active disease than in those with clinical remission (P<0.001). Overall, 27 patients (68%) had a SUV_max of 2.0 or more and 13 (32.5%) had an SUV_max below 2.0. There were no correlations of the imaging results with the type of treatment, time since remission, or laboratory parameters.

Conclusion: The criteria for clinical remission from TAK were not entirely consistent with the actual vascular inflammatory activity based on ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT can play an important role in monitoring the clinical and radiographic remission of patients with TAK.

Published Date: 2022-12-29; Received Date: 2022-11-29