Imaging of infectious and inflammatory diseases with Positron Emission Tomography/Computed tomography [Enfeksiyöz ve enflamatuar hastaliklarin Pozitron Emisyon Tomografi/bilgisayarli tomografi ile görüntülenmesi]

Nuclear medicine plays an important role in the assessment of a multitude of infectious and inflammatory processes. Functional scintigraphic procedures are part of the noninvasive diagnostic armamentarium and give complementary knowledge over anatomic modalities such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessment of infection and inflammation. A number of conventional scintigraphic modalities have been used for imaging of infection and inflammation. The widest experience has been gained with gallium-67 (Ga-67), leukocytes radiolabeled with either technetium-99m (Tc-99m) or indium-111 (In-111). Immunoscintigraphy using various labeled antibodies has also been used in recent years. Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) which is the most technological method of nuclear medicine give significant information with combined anatomical and metabolic assessment for the diagnosis of infectious and inflammatory diseases. With the increasing use of the glucose analog radiopharmaceutical named fluorine- 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F–18 FDG) for assessment of malignancies, uptake of this positron-emitting tracer in nonmalignant processes especially in infectious and inflammatory lesions has also been described. The aim of this review is to summarize the role of PET/CT for the assessment of infectious and inflammatory processes. © 2012 Düzce Medical Journal.