Fluorine‐18‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose PET‐CT aids in detection of soft‐tissue injuries for dogs with thoracic or pelvic limb lameness

Abstract

Fluorine-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) provides physiologic images of tissues based on their glucose metabolism. The combination of FDG PET and CT (FDG PET-CT) has been utilized in human musculoskeletal imaging to localize soft tissue lesions, however, this modality has not been thoroughly investigated for the diagnosis of canine lameness. This prospective, descriptive study evaluated FDG PET-CT findings in 25 client-owned dogs with inconclusive origin of thoracic or pelvic limb lameness (thoracic limb n = 15/25, 60%; pelvic limb n = 6/25, 24%; and combination of both limbs n = 4/25, 16%). We hypothesized that FDG PET-CT would aid the detection of soft tissue lesions not visible with other imaging modalities. Combined FDG PET-CT detected soft tissue lesions in 40% (n = 10/25) and osteoarthritis in 64% (n = 16/25) of the patients. FDG PET detected more soft tissue lesions than contrastenhanced CT (n = 15/15, 100% and n = 12/15, 80%, respectively), while CT identified more osteoarthritis lesions than FDG PET (n = 26/26, 100% and n = 18/26, 69%, respectively). The three imaging-diagnoses based on the FDG PET component included the following: flexor carpi ulnaris muscle tear, psoas major myopathy, and tarsal desmopathy. No diagnosis for the lameness was obtained in three dogs. Findings supported FDG PET-CT as a useful adjunct imaging modality for detection of certain soft tissue injuries of the musculoskeletal system. Combined FDG PET-CT should be considered for cases where the cause of lameness is thought to be of soft tissue origin and cannot be diagnosed by conventional means. K E Y W O R D S functional imaging, myopathy, PET tracer, SUVmax, tendinopathy

Characteristics of Physiological 18F-Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose Uptake and Comparison Between Cats and Dogs With Positron Emission Tomography

“…Thus, the interpretation of SUVs around oral structures should be assessed carefully to avoid tumor misdiagnosis. A previous study on dogs with limb lameness reported the SUVs of regions with (SUVmax > 1.0) or without (SUVmax < 1.0) pathologies (36). Also, previously reported SUVmax of normal skeletal muscles in dogs was ∼1.0 (4, 5), and these findings are consistent with those of the present study.…”

“…Also, previously reported SUVmax of normal skeletal muscles in dogs was ∼1.0 (4, 5), and these findings are consistent with those of the present study. As a diagnostic modality, FDG PET-CT could be valuable in detecting soft tissue abnormalities, which cannot be diagnosed by conventional means (36). However, in the present study, most of the SUVmax of skeletal muscles in normal cats were higher than 1.0.…”

Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma Associated with Previous Chronic Osteomyelitis Caused by Serratia liquefaciens in a German Shepherd Dog

“…In this report the evidence of polyostotic osteomyelitis sustained by Serratia was also peculiar [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ], compared to the greater evidence in the literature of monostotic osteomyelitis [ 24 ]. First-line therapy with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was not targeted towards the specific microorganism and thus it was ineffective.…”

“…Septic polyostotic osteomyelitis is a rare bone infection in dogs, involving multiple bones and commonly caused by a long-term or persistent infection with fungal or bacterial agents [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Generally, a wide range of microorganisms could cause osteomyelitis, with bacterial infections being most frequently reported [ 8 ].…”

Use of positron emission tomography in medicine and veterinary medicine

“…Badanie PET/CT ma również zastosowanie w wykrywaniu źródeł gorączki nieznanego pochodzenia, a także trudnych do zdiagnozowania kulawizn spowodowanych urazami, zmianami infekcyjnymi czy procesami nowotworowymi, szczególnie w obrębie tkanek miękkich (12,17,44,53). Dostarcza cennych informacji czynnościowych i anatomicznych związanych ze źródłem zapalenia lub zwiększoną aktywnością metaboliczną tkanki (17).…”