PET/CT Imaging in Soft Tissue Infection and Inflammation—An Update

Elite Arnon-Sheleg, Ora Israel, Zohar Keidar

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nuclear medicine procedures, including Ga-67 and labeled leucocyte SPECT/CT as well as PET/CT using 18F-FDG and recently Ga-68 tracers, have found extensive applications in the assessment of infectious and inflammatory processes in general and in soft tissues in particular. Recent published data focus on summarizing the available imaging information with the purpose of providing the referring clinicians with optimized evidence based results. Guidelines and/or recommendations of clinical societies have incorporated nuclear medicine tests (using both labeled leucocytes and FDG) in their suggested work-up for evaluation of infective endocarditis and in certain patients with suspected vascular graft infections. Joint guidelines of the European and American nuclear medicine societies include fever of unknown origin, sarcoidosis, and vasculitis among the major clinical indications that will benefit from nuclear medicine procedures, specifically from FDG PET/CT. Limitations and pitfalls for the use of radiotracers in assessment of infection and inflammation can be related to patient conditions (eg, diabetes mellitus), or to the biodistribution of a specific radiopharmaceutical. Limited presently available data on the use of functional and/or metabolic monitoring of response to infectious and inflammatory processes to treatment and with respect to the effect of drugs such as antibiotics and glucocorticoids on the imaging patterns of these patients need further confirmation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)35-49
Number of pages15
JournalSeminars in Nuclear Medicine
Volume50
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Inc.

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