Abstract
Positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (CT) is an established diagnostic modality that has become an essential imaging tool in oncological practice. However, thanks to its noninvasive nature and its capability to provide physiological information, the main applications of this technique have significantly expanded.
18F-labelled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is the most commonly used radiopharmaceutical for PET scanning and demonstrates metabolic activity in various tissues. Since activated inflammatory cells, like malignant cells, predominantly metabolise glucose as a source of energy and increase expression of glucose transporters when activated, FDG-PET/CT can be successfully used to detect and monitor a variety of lung diseases, such as infections and several inflammatory conditions.
The added value of FDG-PET/CT as a molecular imaging technique relies on its capability to identify disease in very early stages, long before the appearance of structural changes detectable by conventional imaging. Furthermore, by detecting the active phase of infectious or inflammatory processes, disease progression and treatment efficacy can be monitored.
This review will focus on the clinical use of FDG-PET/CT in nonmalignant pulmonary diseases.
Abstract
PET/CT is an imaging modality that could play a role in evaluation of inflammatory and infectious lung diseases http://ow.ly/8YGT302aVlS
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Provenance: Submitted article, peer reviewed
- Received May 15, 2016.
- Accepted July 5, 2016.
- The content of this work is ©the authors or their employers. Design and branding are ©ERS 2016.
This version is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence 4.0.