Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Clinical utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with microscopic polyangiitis and interstitial lung disease: a retrospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
18F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated high specificity but limited sensitivity for detecting ILD in MPA, limiting its use as a screening tool.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) who underwent high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and 18F-FDG PET/CT; Interstitial lung disease (ILD) diagnosis based on HRCT
- Participants
- 61 patients
- Exposure
- 18F-FDG uptake in lung parenchyma present vs absent
- Outcome
- Diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG uptake for ILD (sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV) and prognostic value by Δ (1-year-baseline; positive=improvement) in FVC and DLCO
- Follow-up
- 1 year
Methodological detailssingle-centre, observational, multivariable linear regression
- Single-centre
- Observational
- Multivariable linear regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
ILD detection (diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG uptake)
| Group | Specificity | PPV | Sensitivity | NPV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18F-FDG uptake | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.63 | 0.26 |
18F-FDG uptake
Specificity1.00
PPV1.00
Sensitivity0.63
NPV0.26
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Δ (1-year-baseline) in FVC and DLCO by 18F-FDG uptake18F-FDG uptake vs Without uptake | β (Δ FVC) 8.26 (CI 2.87–13.64) | P = 0.004 |
| Δ (1-year-baseline) in FVC and DLCO by 18F-FDG uptake18F-FDG uptake vs Without uptake | β (Δ DLCO) 7.38 (CI 0.06–14.69) | P = 0.048 |
| Δ in FVC and DLCO by HRCT ILD pattern · 1 yearNon-UIP vs UIP | β (Δ FVC) 8.02 (CI 0.66–15.38) | P = 0.034 |
| Δ in FVC and DLCO by HRCT ILD pattern · 1 yearNon-UIP vs UIP | β (Δ DLCO) 0.66 (CI −8.83-10.16) | P = 0.885 |
Δ (1-year-baseline) in forced vital capacity (FVC) and DLCO by 18F-FDG uptake
- Prognostic value of 18F-FDG uptake greater than that of HRCT ILD pattern (UIP vs non-UIP)
Original publication
Clinical utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with microscopic polyangiitis and interstitial lung disease: a retrospective cohort study. Clin Exp Rheumatol. Published 9 September 2025. doi:10.
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