The Role of Quantitative and Semi-quantitative [18F]FDG-PET/CT Indices for Evaluating Disease Activity and Management of Patients With Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are considered systemic diseases involving different organs and some subtypes are associated with increased cancer risk. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the current use and potential applications of (semi-)quantitative [F-18]FDG-PET/CT indices in patients with IIM focusing on dermatomyositis and polymyositis. Visual interpretation and (semi-)quantitative [F-18]FDG-PET indices have a good overall performance to detect muscle activity but objective, robust and standardized interpretation criteria are currently lacking. [F-18]FDG-PET/CT is a suitable modality to screen for malignancy in patients with myositis and may be a promising tool to detect inflammatory lung activity and to early identify patients with rapidly progressive lung disease. The latter remains to be determined in large, prospective comparative trials.