title: The role of PET/CT in the evaluation of patients affected by limbic encephalitis: A systematic review of the literature.
abstract: Autoimmune limbic encephalitis (LE) is a rare disorder affecting the medial temporal lobe of the brain. Although brain Magnetic Resonance (MR) has been widely evaluated and is currently considered essential in the suspicion of LE, Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) has been demonstrated to be useful also in the evaluation of brain inflammatory diseases such as encephalitis. We therefore aim to review the current literature about the role of PET/CT in the evaluation of patients affected by LE.
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Natale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Quartuccio
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Nuklearmedizin, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: fedefournier@libero.it.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caobelli
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Evangelista
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alongi
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirienko
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Department, Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Biasi
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Department, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cocciolillo
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D020363:Limbic Encephalitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: Brain MR; Limbic encephalitis; NMDAR antibodies; PET/CT