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. 2023 Mar;82(2):91-101.
doi: 10.1007/s00393-021-01133-w. Epub 2021 Dec 1.

[Polymyalgia rheumatica in 18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron-emission-tomography/computed tomography : Improvement in diagnostic accuracy and differentiation from rheumatoid arthritis]

[Article in German]
F Witte  1 , H-J Lakomek  2 , J Holzinger  3 , W-D Reinbold  3
Affiliations

[Polymyalgia rheumatica in 18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron-emission-tomography/computed tomography : Improvement in diagnostic accuracy and differentiation from rheumatoid arthritis]

[Article in German]
F Witte et al. Z Rheumatol. 2023 Mar.

Abstract
in English, German

Background: The diagnosis of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) has relied upon the clinical examination of symptoms and laboratory parameters of inflammation until now. Currently, the use of different imaging modalities is being explored, including ultrasound, MRI and PET.

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the diagnostic value of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron-emission-tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) for PMR, in order to improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing PMR and to improve the differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Materials and methods: Examinations using 18F-FDG-PET/CT of 284 rheumatological patients, including 97 patients with PMR, were retrospectively evaluated over a 44-month period. Furthermore, 13 regions changed by inflammation were analysed via a three-dimensional region of interest (ROI) measurement with determination of maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax), followed by statistical analyses.

Results and discussion: Patients with PMR presented significantly elevated uptake in all regions examined (p < 0.001), compared with a control group treated for rheumatological diseases. The method with the highest diagnostic relevance was represented by the combination of four SUVmax values of both anterolateral hip capsules and both ischial tuberosities, reaching a sensitivity of 91.3% and a specificity of 97.6% with a cut-off of 11.0 SUV at the initial diagnosis of PMR patients who had not yet received any immunosuppressive therapy. Patients with RA could be significantly distinguished from those with PMR at initial diagnosis in the same anatomical regions (p < 0.001).

Zusammenfassung: HINTERGRUND: Die Diagnose von Patienten mit Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) beruht bislang auf der klinischen Symptomatik und laborchemischen Entzündungsparametern. Aktuell wird der Nutzen verschiedener bildgebender Verfahren evaluiert, hierunter die Sonographie, MRT und PET.

Ziel der arbeit/fragestellung: Ziel war die Evaluation der diagnostischen Wertigkeit der 18-Fluordesoxyglukose-Positronenemissionstomographie/Computertomographie (18F-FDG-PET/CT) bei PMR, um die Sensitivität und Spezifität in der diagnostischen Aufarbeitung zu verbessern, sowie die rheumatoide Arthritis (RA) differentialdiagnostisch verbessert abzugrenzen.

Material und methoden: Es wurden 18F-FDG-PET/CT-Untersuchungen von 284 rheumatologischen Patienten – hierunter 97 Patienten mit PMR – aus einem 44-monatigen Zeitraum retrospektiv evaluiert. Weiter wurden 13 entzündlich veränderte Regionen via dreidimensionaler Region-of-interest(ROI)-Messung mit Bestimmung des maximalen Standardized-Uptake-Value (SUVmax) analysiert, gefolgt von statistischen Analysen.

Ergebnisse und diskussion: Patienten mit PMR zeigten im Vergleich mit einer rheumatologisch behandelten Kontrollgruppe signifikant erhöhte Anreicherungen in allen gemessenen Regionen (p < 0,001). Die Methode mit der stärksten diagnostischen Aussagekraft stellte die Kombination aus vier SUVmax-Messwerten – beider anterolateraler Hüftkapseln und beider Tubera ischiadica – dar, mit einer Sensitivität von 91,3 % und einer Spezifität von 97,6 % bei einem Cut-off von 11,0 SUV für die Erstdiagnose von PMR-Patienten, die noch keine immunsuppressive Therapie erhalten hatten. Patienten mit RA konnten bei Erstdiagnose an ebenjenen anatomischen Regionen signifikant von Patienten mit PMR unterschieden werden (p < 0,001).

Keywords: Diagnosis; Giant cell arteritis; Glucocorticoids; Inflammation; Rheumatoid arthritis.

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