Positron emission tomography with 11C-D-deprenyl in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Evaluation of knee joint inflammation before and after intra-articular glucocorticoid treatment.
Seven patients with arthritic disease and with clinical signs of inflammation of the knee joint, were investigated with positron emission tomography (PET) after injection of [N-methyl-11C]-D-deprenyl. Two healthy volunteers were included as controls. In five patients the investigation was repeated after an intra-articular injection of glucocorticoids. All patients showed very high uptake of the tracer in the paraarticular structures of the joint. After treatment there was approximately a 50% reduction of the uptake in the treated knees, both in the high uptake regions and in the surrounding soft tissues. No change was observed in the non-treated knees. In the healthy volunteers, only soft tissue surrounding the joint showed an uptake of the tracer, but at a magnitude which was 6-8 times lower than the high uptake regions in the arthritis patients. Although the mechanisms for the high uptake of 11C-D-deprenyl in affected joints of patients with arthritis is not clear, the present work points to a potential of PET for the assessment of disease intensity and monitoring of treatment.
Danfors
T
T
Department of Internal Medicine, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Bergström
M
M
Feltelius
N
N
Ahlström
H
H
Westerberg
G
G
Långström
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011292:Premedication; D011859:Radiography; D012642:Selegiline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D012642:Selegiline