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Parameters related to a positive test result for FDG PET(/CT) for large vessel vasculitis: a multicenter retrospective study

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An Erratum to this article was published on 24 March 2012

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify clinical and laboratory parameters that may improve the effectiveness of the use of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18 F-FDG PET)(/CT) for diagnosing large vessel vasculitis (LVV), and secondarily to assess the contribution of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in finding other diagnoses for patients without signs of LVV on the scan. A multicenter retrospective study of 18 F-FDG PET(/CT) scans performed between January 2000 and December 2009 for clinical suspicion of LVV was conducted. A total of 304 18 F-FDG PET(/CT) scans were included, of which 62 (20%) were positive and 242 (80%) were negative for LVV. Univariate analysis showed that patients with a positive scan were older (65.9 ± 13.4 versus 58.6 ± 16.5 years, p = 0.002), were more frequently female (76% versus 55%, p = 0.002), more often had a history of temporal arteritis (10% versus 3%, p = 0.044), less frequently had artralgia (31% versus 67%, p = 0.000), and had higher thrombocyte counts (434 ± 161 versus 373 ± 168 × 109/l, p = 0.049) and a higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (72.6 ± 31.0 versus 51.4 ± 30.5 mm/h, p = 0.001) than patients with a negative scan. In the multivariate analysis, only artralgia (OR 0.091; 95% CI 0.023–0.366) and ESR (OR 1.024; 95% CI 1.002–1.046) remained statistically significant predictors. The presence of artralgia is a statistically significant negative predictor and an elevated ESR a statistically significant positive predictor of LVV showing up on 18 F-FDG PET(/CT). A reliable prediction of the outcome of the scan, based on these two parameters, is not possible however. 18 F-FDG PET(/CT) allows early diagnosis of LVV and may discover occult inflammatory or neoplastic disorders.

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to express their gratitude to H. Groen, epidemiologist, for his valuable help in analyzing the data.

Disclosures

Both first and second author equally contributed to the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Medical Center Leeuwarden, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

    G. A. Hooisma & H. Balink

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Institute for Cardiovascular Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    K. D. F. Lensen

  3. Department of Rheumatology, Medical Center Leeuwarden, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

    P. M. Houtman

  4. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    R. H. J. A. Slart

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  1. G. A. Hooisma
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Correspondence to H. Balink.

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Hooisma, G.A., Balink, H., Houtman, P.M. et al. Parameters related to a positive test result for FDG PET(/CT) for large vessel vasculitis: a multicenter retrospective study. Clin Rheumatol 31, 861–871 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-012-1945-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-012-1945-0

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