18F-FDG PET/CT for the Assessment of Myocardial Sarcoidosis

Cardiac involvement portends a poor prognosis in patients with sarcoidosis. However, due to the nonspecific clinical manifestations of the disease, patchy myocardial involvement, and the limited diagnostic yield of diagnostic tests, early diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis has been exceedingly difficult. As a result, there is no standardized approach for the early diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. Imaging modalities that can both identify disease and predict response to therapy are paramount to improve management of cardiac sarcoidosis. F-18-FDG PET has many practical advantages in assessing disease activity and monitoring treatment response in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis. Accumulating data support the growing role of F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18-FDG) PET in the diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with cardiac sarcoidosis.