Diffusion Weighted Whole Body Imaging with Background Body Signal Suppression (DWIBS) Was Useful for the Diagnosis and Follow-up of Giant Cell Arteritis

Intern Med. 2019 Jul 15;58(14):2095-2099. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2479-18. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Abstract

A 66-year-old woman with symptoms of fatigue and headache was diagnosed with giant cell arteritis (GCA). Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) revealed the strong accumulation of FDG in the descending aorta, abdominal aorta, bilateral subclavian artery, and total iliac artery. Diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background body signal suppression (DWIBS) showed signal enhancement at the descending aorta and abdominal aorta. We repeated FDG-PET and DWIBS 2 months after the initiation of therapy with prednisolone. In line with the FDG-PET findings, the signal enhancement of the aortic wall completely vanished on DWIBS. DWIBS may be a novel useful tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of GCA treatment.

Keywords: diffusion weighted whole body imaging with background body signal suppression (DWIBS); giant cell arteritis; positron emission tomography (PET).

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Aged
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Aorta, Abdominal / diagnostic imaging*
  • Aorta, Abdominal / physiopathology*
  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / drug therapy*
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Multimodal Imaging / methods
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography / methods
  • Prednisolone / therapeutic use*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Whole Body Imaging / methods

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Prednisolone