Role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Restrictive Allograft Syndrome After Lung Transplantation

Background. Differential diagnosis of phenotypes of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) remains troublesome. We hypothesized that 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) may help in differential diagnosis of CLAD phenotypes, as it showed promising results regarding diagnosis and prognosis in interstitial lung diseases. Methods. A monocentric, retrospective study was performed including all lung transplant recipients suffering from bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) or restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT scan, in comparison with stable lung transplant recipients. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was associated with pulmonary function and survival. Proof-of-concept microCT and glucose transporter-1 staining served as morphologic validation for regions with different SUVmax. Results. Maximum standardized uptake value was higher in RAS (median, 2.6; n = 29) compared with BOS (median, 1.0; n = 15) and stable patients (median, 0.59; n = 8) (P
Source: Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Tags: Original Clinical Science—General Source Type: research