Hybrid Imaging in Head and Neck Sarcoidosis

Abstract

To determine the prevalence of head and neck sarcoidosis (HNS) and evaluate the role of hybrid molecular imaging in HNS. Between 2010 and 2018, 222 patients with chronic sarcoidosis and presence of prolonged symptoms of active disease were referred to FDG PET/CT. Active disease was found in 169 patients, and they were all screened for the presence of HNS. All patients underwent MDCT and assessment of the serum ACE level. Follow-up FDG PET/CT examination was done 19.84 ± 8.98 months after the baseline. HNS was present in 38 out of 169 patients. FDG uptake was present in: cervical lymph nodes (38/38), submandibular glands (2/38), cerebrum (2/38), and bone (1/38). The majority of patients had more than two locations of disease. After FDG PET/CT examination, therapy was changed in most patients. Fourteen patients returned to follow-up FDG PET/CT examination in order to assess the therapy response. PET/CT revealed active disease in 12 patients and complete remission in two patients. Follow-up ACE levels had no correlation with follow-up SUVmax level (ρ = −0.18, p = 0.77). FDG PET/CT can be useful in the detection of HNS and in the evaluation of the therapy response. It may replace the use of non-purposive mounds of insufficiently informative laboratory and radiological procedures.

The Impact of Bayesian Penalized Likelihood Reconstruction Algorithm on Quantitative Accuracy of Positron Emission Tomography Volumetric Measurements

“…However, the method using for MTV delineation also needs to be careful and precise. At present, most studies use a xed SUV threshold (such as SUV ≥ 2.5 or SUV ≥ 4.0) or a percentage of SUV max (such as 42% SUV max ) to de ne MTV [8][9][10]. Meanwhile, Xu et al also proposed that using the iterative adaptive method of PET VCAR software (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee) was more accurate than using the SUV max percentage threshold method to determine MTVs [11].…”

Exciting Opportunities in Nuclear Medicine Imaging and Therapy

“…Against the backdrop of these exciting developments, this Special Issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine aims to provide an overview of the different facets of nuclear medicine. Starting with the potential relationship between malignancy-related bone marrow activation and prognosis [8], the Special Issue then features the value of nuclear imaging in inflammatory conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome or sarcoidosis [9,10]. The next article addresses strategies to optimize reconstruction methods for dosimetry [11], whereas the last original contribution focuses on the association between diffuse thyroid uptake in 18F-FDG PET and the risk of dysfunction [12].…”