Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose with positron emission tomography revealed bone marrow involvement in sarcoidosis patients with anaemia.
BACKGROUND
Anaemia occurs in 13-28% of sarcoidosis patients. It is associated with bone marrow infiltration by epitheliod granulomas in about 50% of cases, but its pathophysiology remains unclear.


OBJECTIVE
It was the aim of this study to describe a series of sarcoidosis patients with and without anaemia who underwent metabolic imaging with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose with positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET).


METHODS
The files of 3 sarcoidosis patients who exhibited anaemia and underwent metabolic imaging with (18)F-FDG PET were reviewed in comparison with those of all sarcoidosis patients (n = 7) who underwent (18)F-FDG PET during the same period of time.


RESULTS
In the 3 cases, symptomatic anaemia was associated with bone marrow sarcoidosis as attested by (18)F-FDG PET and confirmed by bone marrow biopsy. This observation is strengthened by the lack of bone marrow hypermetabolism by PET scan in the 7 control patients. Corticosteroids dramatically improved anaemia in 2 cases which correlated with a dramatic decrease in bone marrow glucose uptake. In contrast, there was a moderate increase in haemoglobin level in the third case and no change in metabolic imaging.


CONCLUSIONS
Whole-body (18)F-FDG PET imaging should be considered in sarcoidosis patients with symptomatic anaemia. It can noninvasively suggest bone marrow involvement, indicate sarcoidosis treatment and monitor its efficiency.
de Prost
Nicolas
N
Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation, Hôpital Tenon, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris and Université de Médecine Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris VI, Paris, France.
Kerrou
Khaldoun
K
Sibony
Mathilde
M
Talbot
Jean-Noël
JN
Wislez
Marie
M
Cadranel
Jacques
J
D000328:Adult; D000740:Anemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006099:Granuloma / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18