Splenic uptake on FDG PET/CT correlates with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease severity

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 10836
• Main Authors: Seong, Hye, Jeong, Yong Hyu, Lee, Woon Ji, Kim, Jun Hyoung, Kim, Jung Ho, Ahn, Jin Young, Jeong, Su Jin, Choi, Jun Yong, Park, Yoon Soo, Yeom, Joon Sup, Song, Young Goo, Cho, Arthur, Ku, Nam Su
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group 25.05.2021; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Computed tomography; Glucose; Glycolysis; Lymph nodes; Lymphadenitis; Lymphatic diseases; Myalgia; Patients; Positron emission tomography; Spleen; Tomography
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90350-z

Abstract Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is usually self-limiting, but prolonged systemic symptoms often result in frequent hospital visits, long admission durations, or missed workdays. We investigated the role of fluorine-18 fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ( 18 F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in assessing KFD severity. We reviewed the records of 31 adult patients with pathologically confirmed KFD who underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT between November 2007 and April 2018 at a tertiary-care referral hospital. Disease severity was assessed using criteria based on clinical manifestations of advanced KFD. Systemic activated lymph nodes and severity of splenic activation were determined using semi-quantitative and volumetric PET/CT parameters. The median of the mean splenic standardized uptake value (SUV mean ) was higher in patients with severe KFD than those with mild KFD (2.38 ± 1.18 vs. 1.79 ± 0.99, p  = 0.058). Patients with severe KFD had more systemically activated volume and glycolytic activity than those with mild KFD (total lesion glycolysis: 473.5 ± 504.4 vs. 201.6 ± 363.5, p  = 0.024). Multivariate logistic regression showed that myalgia (odds ratio [OR] 0.035; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.001–0.792; p  = 0.035), total lymph node SUV max (cutoff 9.27; OR 24.734; 95% CI 1.323–462.407; p  = 0.032), and spleen SUV mean (cutoff 1.79; OR 37.770; 95% CI 1.769–806.583; p  = 0.020) were significantly associated with severe KFD. 18 F-FDG PET/CT could be useful in assessing KFD severity.