18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumatica

An 80-year-old man presented with new-onset pain in the shoulders and lower extremities and elevated serum inflammatory markers. A clinical diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) was made, but there was a suboptimal response to glucocorticoid therapy, prompting further evaluation. 18F-fluorodeoxy...

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Main Authors: Ananya Panda, Gregory Wiseman, Matthew Koster, Kenneth Warrington, Geoffrey Johnson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2021-03-01
Series:World Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/wjnm.WJNM_102_20
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author Ananya Panda
Gregory Wiseman
Matthew Koster
Kenneth Warrington
Geoffrey Johnson
author_facet Ananya Panda
Gregory Wiseman
Matthew Koster
Kenneth Warrington
Geoffrey Johnson
author_sort Ananya Panda
collection DOAJ
description An 80-year-old man presented with new-onset pain in the shoulders and lower extremities and elevated serum inflammatory markers. A clinical diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) was made, but there was a suboptimal response to glucocorticoid therapy, prompting further evaluation. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) revealed intense FDG uptake in the arteries of the bilateral lower extremities, head, and neck, but sparing the aorta, suggestive of an uncommon pattern of giant cell arteritis (GCA). There were also imaging signs consistent with PMR, including FDG uptake in the synovium of large joints. This case highlights the uncommon manifestation of GCA with lower extremity involvement and sparing of the aorta. The combination of FDG PET imaging features and elevated serum markers obviated the need for invasive biopsy. One might also conclude that standard FDG PET/CT imaging protocols covering orbits/vertex to thighs incompletely evaluate the extent of arterial distribution of GCA.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1450-1147
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language English
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spelling doaj-art-724dc875f2d64a6b996eb1a6c05acce62025-08-20T03:48:37ZengThieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.World Journal of Nuclear Medicine1450-11471607-33122021-03-012001909210.4103/wjnm.WJNM_102_2018F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumaticaAnanya Panda0Gregory Wiseman1Matthew Koster2Kenneth Warrington3Geoffrey Johnson4Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USADepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USADepartment of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USADepartment of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USADepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USAAn 80-year-old man presented with new-onset pain in the shoulders and lower extremities and elevated serum inflammatory markers. A clinical diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) was made, but there was a suboptimal response to glucocorticoid therapy, prompting further evaluation. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) revealed intense FDG uptake in the arteries of the bilateral lower extremities, head, and neck, but sparing the aorta, suggestive of an uncommon pattern of giant cell arteritis (GCA). There were also imaging signs consistent with PMR, including FDG uptake in the synovium of large joints. This case highlights the uncommon manifestation of GCA with lower extremity involvement and sparing of the aorta. The combination of FDG PET imaging features and elevated serum markers obviated the need for invasive biopsy. One might also conclude that standard FDG PET/CT imaging protocols covering orbits/vertex to thighs incompletely evaluate the extent of arterial distribution of GCA.http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/wjnm.WJNM_102_20diagnosisdiagnostic imaginggiant cell arteritispolymyalgia rheumaticarheumatic diseasesvasculitis
spellingShingle Ananya Panda
Gregory Wiseman
Matthew Koster
Kenneth Warrington
Geoffrey Johnson
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumatica
World Journal of Nuclear Medicine
diagnosis
diagnostic imaging
giant cell arteritis
polymyalgia rheumatica
rheumatic diseases
vasculitis
title 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumatica
title_full 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumatica
title_fullStr 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumatica
title_full_unstemmed 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumatica
title_short 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumatica
title_sort 18f fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography computed tomography of giant cell arteritis with lower extremity involvement in association with polymyalgia rheumatica
topic diagnosis
diagnostic imaging
giant cell arteritis
polymyalgia rheumatica
rheumatic diseases
vasculitis
url http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/wjnm.WJNM_102_20
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