Positron emission tomography in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The purpose of this paper was to systematically search the literature on (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET) in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to provide a concise review of the reported results. Papers were searched through PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library using the MESH terms "pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive", "pulmonary emphysema", and "positron-emission tomography". Of the 38 citations from the search and from browsing the literature lists of selected articles, seven relevant reports were identified. The sparse and heterogeneous literature available provide some indication that (18)F-FDG-PET could prove useful in COPD by a) differentiating COPD from chronic asthma and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, b) measuring pulmonary and systemic inflammation to guide treatment and estimate prognosis, c) quantifying respiratory muscle use, and d) diagnosing cor pulmonale. In conclusion, the role of (18)F-FDG-PET in diagnosing and managing COPD patients seems to be promising and deserves to be further studied.