Quantitative Interpretation of FDG PET for Cardiac Sarcoidosis Reclassifies Visually Interpreted Studies and Potentially Reduces Unnecessary Downstream Interventions

Conclusion: Re-interpretation of FDG PET/CT imaging for cardiac sarcoidosis using quantitative techniques lead to a nearly 1/3 of visually "FDG positive" studies being reclassified as normal (no FDG uptake). In 7/22 patients that were reclassified as normal, initiation or increase of immunosuppression could potentially have been avoided, thus possibly limiting toxicities of these medications. The adverse event rate for arrhythmias and CHF in patients reclassified as normal was low. This suggests quantitative interpretation of FDG PET/CT for CS could reduce unnecessary immunosuppressive treatment in some patients. Research Support: None
Source: Journal of Nuclear Medicine - Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Tags: The ' New Cardiomyopathies: Sarcoid, Amyloid, and Chemotherapy Source Type: research