title: (18)F-FDG PET/MRI can be used to identify injured peripheral nerves in a model of neuropathic pain.
abstract: We demonstrated increased (18)F-FDG uptake in injured peripheral nerves in a model of neuropathic pain using small-animal PET/MRI.
  
  
  METHODS
  A neuropathic pain model in rats was created by spared-nerve injury of the left sciatic nerve. Sham-operated rats without nerve injury were used as a control. The presence of pain was confirmed by testing for allodynia. Sequential small-animal (18)F-FDG PET and MRI scans of the thighs were obtained and coregistered. Autoradiography was performed on harvested nerves and muscle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The group with spared-nerve injury showed the development of allodynia in the operated limb (P < 0.001). Increased (18)F-FDG uptake was observed on both PET/MRI (P < 0.001) and autoradiography (P < 0.005) in the operated nerve in this group. (18)F-FDG uptake in the nerves correlated well with allodynia (ρ = -0.59; P < 0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Animals with neuropathic pain show increased (18)F-FDG uptake in the affected nerve. Small-animal PET/MRI can be effectively used to localize (18)F-FDG uptake in peripheral nerves.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Behera
authors.forename: Kathleen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Subrat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Behera
authors.forename: Jarrett
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: Sandip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biswal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D010146:Pain; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000473:pathology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18