Positron emission tomography/computed tomography improves diagnostics of inflammatory arteritis.

Based on the unique property of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose, localization and follow-up of hypermetabolic processes is possible with positron emission tomography (PET). The dual-modality PET/computed tomography (CT) systems provide intrinsically fused morphologic and functional data in a single examination. We report on two patients with inflammatory aortitis and positive PET/CT findings. A 57-year-old woman with an inflammatory process involving the thoracolumbal aorta with an aneurysm and a 48-year-old woman with an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta and pronounced fluorodeoxyglucose-uptake. The advantages in differentiation of vessel wall structures compared with PET or CT alone are pointed out.