Positron emission tomography use in the diagnosis and follow up of Takayasu's arteritis

Abstract
A 27 year old woman was admitted for FUO, headache, and interscapular pain, radiating to the neck and shoulders in the past 2 months. Physical and vascular examinations were normal. Laboratory tests showed anaemia (haemoglobin 84 g/l) and a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR 79 mm/1st h). Blood cultures, a Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test, and autoimmune serological findings were negative. Vascular magnetic resonance (VMR) was normal. [18F]FDG positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG-PET) showed hypermetabolism in the brachiocephalic trunk, left carotid artery, and thoracic aorta (fig 1A).