Clinical value of F-18 FDG PET in patients with connective tissue diseases

结缔组织病是一组异质性的免疫介导性炎性疾病，除肺外，还涉及多种器官。F-18FDG PET被广泛应用于肿瘤学，但在感染或炎症性疾病患者中也可能有价值。本研究的目的是评价F-18FDGPET在结缔组织病患者中的临床应用价值。我们的经验表明，F-18FDGPET是一种独特的成像技术，可用于评估结缔组织疾病的全身代谢活动。这项技术似乎是检测共存的肿瘤疾病和其他自身免疫性疾病的一种很有前途的成像方式。

Connective tissue diseases represent a heterogeneous group of immunologically mediated inflammatory disorders with a large variety of affected organs besides the lung. F-18 FDG PET is widely used in oncology but may also be valuable in patients with infections or inflammatory diseases. The purpose of this study is to assess the clinical value of F-18 FDG PET in patients with connective tissue diseases. Our experience demonstrates that F-18 FDG PET is a unique imaging technique for assessing the metabolic activity throughout the body in connective tissue diseases. The technique appears to be a promising imaging modality for the detection of coexistent neoplastic diseases and other autoimmune disorders.