Clinical Utility of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in the Work-up of Children with Uveitis

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To evaluate ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/ultra low dose Computed Tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/ ULD CT) in the work-up of pediatric uveitis.

Methods

Retrospective study of 12 children followed for uveitis who underwent whole body ¹⁸F-FDG PET/ULD CT between 2011 and 2019.

Results

The average age of the patients was 11 years. A total of 100% of patients presented with bilateral uveitis, 50% had panuveitis and 92% had various choroidal involvement. Relevant information for diagnosis was provided in four patients. 5/12 had an abnormal 18F-FDG uptake. Of these, three patients had pathognomonic images of active granulomatous diseases. Three patients underwent PET CT-guided biopsies of which two were positive for sarcoidosis.

Conclusion

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT provided important information for final diagnosis in approximately 30% (4/12) of pediatric patients with bilateral uveitis. Whole body FDG PET/ULD CT can contribute to the final diagnosis thanks to pathognomonic image of active granulomatous disease and/or by indicating metabolically active site of biopsy that would not be visualized in thorax CT.

KEYWORDS:

• Uveitis
• pediatric
• ¹⁸F-FDG PET CT
• idiopathic
• choroidal lesions
• ultra low dose CT

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.