Summary: Appropriate Use Criteria for the Use of Nuclear Medicine in Fever of Unknown Origin

Article Figures & Data

TABLE 1.

Clinical Scenarios for Diagnosis of FUO (Tables 3 and 5 in Final Published AUC)

Scenario number	Description	Appropriateness	Score^*
In adults
1	Labeled leukocyte scintigraphy	May be appropriate	4
2	⁶⁷Ga scintigraphy	May be appropriate	5
3	¹⁸F-FDG PET and PET/CT	Appropriate	8
In children
4	Labeled leukocyte scintigraphy	Rarely appropriate	3
5	⁶⁷Ga scintigraphy	Rarely appropriate	3
6	¹⁸F-FDG PET and PET/CT	Appropriate	8

↵* The work group scored each indication as “appropriate,” “may be appropriate,” or “rarely appropriate” on a scale from 1 to 9: 7–9 = use of the procedure is appropriate for the specific clinical indication and is generally considered acceptable; 4–6 = use of the procedure may be appropriate for the specific indication, implying that more research is needed to classify the indication definitively; and 1–3 = use of the procedure is rarely appropriate for the specific indication and generally is not considered acceptable. Division of these scores into 3 general levels of appropriateness is partially arbitrary, and the numeric designations should be viewed as a continuum. When clinical opinion in the work group differed without agreement on a common score, that indication was given a “may be appropriate” rating to indicate a lack of agreement on appropriateness based on the available literature and the members’ collective clinical opinion, suggesting the need for additional research.