FDG-PET/CT findings of autoimmune pancreatitis.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility in Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/ computed tomography (CT) in the management of patients with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), with special emphasis on differentiating AIP from pancreatic cancer (PC).


METHODS
FDG-PET/CT findings of 10 AIP patients were compared with those of 14 PC patients.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences between AIP and PC in early and delayed maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)), and in the ratio of delayed to early SUV(max). Abnormal extrapancreatic FDG uptake was observed in 5 AIP patients, in the hilar lymph nodes (n = 4), mediastinal lymph nodes (n = 2), abdominal lymph nodes (n = 2), and bilateral salivary glands (n = 2). After steroid therapy, the abnormal FDG uptake in the pancreas disappeared almost completely in two patients, and the FDG uptake in the hilar, mediastinal and abdominal lymph nodes decreased in one patient.


CONCLUSIONS
FDG-PET/CT may be helpful to differentiate AIP from PC by assessing FDG-uptake patterns in the pancreas and extrapancreatic lesions, it may have the potential to assess the disease activity of AIP and its extrapancreatic lesions, and it may be useful as a monitoring marker for tapering or stopping steroid therapy.
Kamisawa
Terumi
T
Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8677, Japan. kamisawa@cick.jp
Takum
Kensuke
K
Anjiki
Hajime
H
Egawa
Naoto
N
Kurata
Masanao
M
Honda
Goro
G
Tsuruta
Koji
K
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18