Assessment of Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis with 18F-FDG PET
Catherine Beckers, MD1,
Clio Ribbens, MD, PhD2,
Béatrice André, MD2,
Stefaan Marcelis, MD3,
Olivier Kaye, MD, PhD2,
Luc Mathy, MD2,
Marie-Joëlle Kaiser, MD2,
Roland Hustinx, MD, PhD1,
Jacqueline Foidart, MD, PhD1 and
Michel G. Malaise, MD, PhD2
1 Division of Nuclear Medicine, Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapy, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
2 Department of Rheumatology, Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapy, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
3 Department of Bone and Joint Radiology, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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FIGURE 1. 18F-FDG PET images of healthy control subject (A and B) and RA patient with active disease (C and D). (A) 3D projection image of normal tracer distribution in knee. (B) Normal distribution in hand and wrist. (C) Rheumatoid knee. (D) Rheumatoid hand and wrist.
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FIGURE 3. SUVs (mean ± SD) in joints in which synovitis is observed (PET+) or not observed (PET–) by 18F-FDG PET analysis. *P < 0.05 compared with PET-positive joints.
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FIGURE 4. PET positivity (A) and SUVs (mean ± SD) (B) in different types of joints studied as joints were not swollen, not tender, and also US negative (0; n = 43) or were positive for 1 (n = 41), 2 (n = 110), or 3 (n = 162) parameters studied. *P < 0.05 compared with PET-positive joints.
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FIGURE 5. Percentage of PET-positive joints according to synovial thickness measured by US.
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Copyright © 2004 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine.
2 test). In ankles and MTP-1 joints, cohorts were too small to allow valid statistical analysis. S+ = swollen joints; T+ = tender joints; US+ = joints with synovial thickness 
1 mm.