[Use of fluorodeoxyglucose PET in the diagnosis of central nervous system lupus erythematosus and a comparison with CT and MRI].

Central nervous system involvement has been found in 30-75% of all cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Up to now, clinical diagnosis is difficult and there are no markers for disease activity. We have compared cranial computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) using fluorodesoxyglucose (FDG) in two cases. FDG-PET is shown to be the most sensitive method demonstrating even reversible deficits and a better correlation with other neurological findings. MRI seems to be more sensitive than CT. A survey of the literature concerning imaging methods in neuropsychiatric SLE is given. The special problem of neuronal desactivation by antineuronal activity is discussed.