Follow-Up 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in Treated Patients With Giant Cell Arteritis: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis.
Alison H Clifford, JoAnn Thai, Ashley Yip et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET to monitor disease activity in patients with large-vessel giant cell arteritis (LV-GCA) who showed clinical improvement after treatment. Among 25 studies, the pooled sensitivity for improved vascular FDG uptake indicating clinical improvement was 0.95, while only 53% achieved normalized PET indicating clinical remission.
Key findings
- Pooled sensitivity of improved vascular FDG uptake for clinical improvement was 0.95 (95% CI 0.82-1.00).
- Only 53% of patients achieved normalized vascular FDG uptake indicating clinical remission (95% CI 0.34-0.72).
- In tocilizumab-treated patients, the sensitivity for improvement was 1.00 (95% CI 0.99-1.00).
- The sensitivity for normalization in TCZ-treated patients was 0.78 (95% CI 0.50-0.97).
Why it matters
The findings highlight the potential of FDG PET as a valuable imaging biomarker for monitoring treatment response in LV-GCA, particularly in assessing clinical improvement versus radiographic remission, which is crucial for managing this condition effectively.