Advances in radionuclide imaging of cardiac sarcoidosis
This article is based on published clinical guidelines, literature review and our collective clinical experience.
Areas of agreement
Gallium-67 scintigraphy is among the diagnostic criteria for cardiac involvement in systemic sarcoidosis, and it is strongly associated with response to treatment. However, fluorine-18, 2-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is now preferred both for diagnosis and for assessing prognosis.
Areas of controversy
Most data are from small observational studies that are potentially biased.
Growing points
Quantitative imaging to assess changes in disease activity in response to treatment may lead to FDG-PET having an important routine role in managing cardiac sarcoidosis.
Areas timely for developing research
Larger prospective studies are required, particularly to assess the effectiveness of radionuclide imaging in improving clinical management and outcome.
Source: British Medical Bulletin - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Kouranos, V., Wells, A. U., Sharma, R., Underwood, S. R., Wechalekar, K. Tags: Radiology Articles Source Type: research