Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy; Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), Genoa University, Genoa, Italy.
Private MSK Imaging Institution, Heraklion, Crete, Greece & European University of Cyprus Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Eur J Radiol. 2021 Jul;140:109737. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2021.109737. Epub 2021 Apr 28.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) pathologies are one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. However, treatment options and understanding of pathogenetic processes are still partially unclear, mainly due to a limited ability in early disease detection and response to therapy assessment. In this scenario, thanks to a strong technological advancement, structural imaging is currently established as the gold-standard of diagnosis in many MSK disorders but each single diagnostic modality (plain films, high-resolution ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance) still suffer by a low specificity regarding the characterization of inflammatory processes, the quantification of inflammatory activity levels, and the degree of response to therapy. To overcome these limitations, molecular imaging techniques may play a promising role. Starting from the strengths and weaknesses of structural anatomical imaging, the present narrative review aims to highlight the promising role of molecular imaging in the assessment of non-neoplastic MSK diseases with a special focus on its role to monitor treatment response.
肌肉骨骼 (MSK) 病理学是全球致残的主要原因之一。然而，治疗选择和对发病机制过程的理解仍然不完全清楚，主要是因为早期疾病检测能力有限，以及对治疗评估的反应能力有限。在这种情况下，由于技术的飞速发展，结构成像目前已成为许多 MSK 疾病诊断的金标准，但每种单一的诊断方式（普通 X 光片、高分辨率超声、计算机断层扫描和磁共振）在炎症过程的特征描述、炎症活动水平的定量以及对治疗的反应程度方面仍然特异性较低。为了克服这些局限性，分子成像技术可能会发挥有前途的作用。本综述从结构解剖成像的优缺点出发，旨在强调分子成像在非肿瘤性 MSK 疾病评估中的应用前景，特别关注其在监测治疗反应中的作用。
