Nienhuis, P.H. (2019) Assessing Cranial Artery Inflammation in Giant Cell Arteritis on FDG-PET/CT using Visual and Quantitative Methods. thesis, Medicine.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background and aim. Assessing cranial artery inflammation plays a important role in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA), but current diagnostic tests are limited. The use of fluorine-18-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging is established for assessing the large vessels but is currently not used for assessment of the cranial arteries. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET/CT for the assessment of inflammation of the cranial arteries in GCA. Methods. This retrospective case control study included temporal artery biopsy (TAB) positive GCA patients and negative controls matched for age and gender. FDG-PET/CT was visually assessed by an experienced nuclear medicine physician and quantitatively assessed using measurements of the maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax). The temporal artery, maxillary artery, vertebral artery, and occipital artery were assessed. Results. A total of 24 GCA patients and 24 controls were included in the study. Visual assessment revealed a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 75% for GCA. Receiveroperating characteristic (ROC) analysis of the quantitative assessment revealed a highest sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 92% (AUC 0.88). There was 77% agreement between the two assessment methods (kappa 0.55). Conclusion. FDG-PET/CT can reliably diagnose GCA by assessing cranial artery involvement. Additionally, extending the use of FDG-PET/CT to the cranial arteries may improve diagnostic accuracy for GCA. Moderate agreement between visual and quantitative assessment methods suggests that diagnostic accuracy may be improved further by standardisation and when combining both assessment methods.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Thesis) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Facultair begeleider: and Brouwer, Dr. E. and Afdeling Reumatologie en Klinische Immunologie and Tweede begeleider: and Slart Prof. Dr. R.H.J.A. and Afdeling Nucleaire Geneeskunde en Moleculaire Beeldvorming |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Jun 2020 11:07 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2020 11:07 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2682 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |