Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Tokyo, Japan.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2011 Jun;1228:29-38. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06031.x.
[(18) F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a tracer for glucose metabolism. Its distribution is not specific to cancer cells but is also observed in inflammatory tissue, including macrophages, capillaries, and fibroblasts. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, chronic inflammation of the joints resulting in synovitis. The disease is characterized by fibrovascular proliferation leading to the formation of a pannus and causing high FDG uptake. Several clinical studies of RA have demonstrated that FDG uptake in affected joints reflects the disease activity of RA, with strong correlations between uptake and various clinical parameters having been noted. Furthermore, the use of FDG PET for the sensitive detection and monitoring of the response to RA therapy has been reported. FDG PET/computed tomography (CT) enables the detailed evaluation of disease in large joints throughout the whole body, which is a unique advantage of PET/CT. FDG PET/CT can also be used to detect high-risk disease complications, such as atlanto-axial joint involvement, at an early stage. The possible contribution of FDG PET to the management of patients with RA remains to be studied in detail.
正电子发射断层扫描（PET）用氟代脱氧葡萄糖（FDG）示踪剂探测葡萄糖代谢。其分布并不仅限于癌细胞，也存在于炎症组织中，包括巨噬细胞、毛细血管和成纤维细胞。类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种系统性、慢性关节炎症，导致滑膜炎。该疾病的特征是纤维血管增生，导致形成血管翳，从而导致 FDG 摄取增加。几项 RA 的临床研究表明，受累关节的 FDG 摄取反映了 RA 的疾病活动，摄取量与各种临床参数之间存在很强的相关性。此外，已经有报道称 FDG PET 可用于敏感检测和监测 RA 治疗的反应。FDG PET/CT 能够详细评估全身大关节的疾病，这是 PET/CT 的独特优势。FDG PET/CT 还可用于早期发现寰枢关节受累等高危疾病并发症。FDG PET 对 RA 患者管理的可能贡献仍需详细研究。
