Simultaneous cardiac imaging to detect inflammation and scar tissue with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/MRI in cardiac sarcoidosis

Current Status and Future Direction of PET/MR in Cardiology

“…Although FDG uptake and MRI findings were positive in a similar area, several different findings were also indicated as we previously reported (27). In that study, a subtle discrepancy was shown among FDG uptake, LGE, and black blood T2-weighted images in a patient with acute-phase cardiac sarcoidosis (Fig.…”

A joint procedural position statement on imaging in cardiac sarcoidosis: from the Cardiovascular and Inflammation & Infection Committees of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology

“…In addition, novel hybrid imaging systems combining PET and MRI (PET/MRI camera) provide highly complementary information on tissue characterization and metabolic information in one single session. 101,102 Due to the lack of a gold standard for the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis, the lack of specificity of the imaging findings, and the potential risk of high-dose immunosuppressive therapies, sarcoidosis is challenging to diagnose and manage. A multidisciplinary heart team approach involving experienced imagers (echocardiography, CMR, and radionuclide imaging), internal medicine physicians, cardiologists, heart failure physicians, pulmonary physicians, electrophysiologists, rheumatologists, pathologists, and others will be critical to manage sarcoidosis.…”

Recent Developments in Combined PET/MRI

“…This may be because many patients with cardiac sarcoidosis have implanted pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators, which can be inactivated in the strong magnetic fields intrinsic to MRI. These case reports have found excellent concordance between T2, delayed enhancement, and [ 18 F]FDG PET imaging [53][54][55]. While it is very likely that PET/MRI will be used for the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis in routine clinical practice, this remains an area for future investigation.…”