Detection of myocardial inflammation by 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with systemic sclerosis without cardiac symptoms: a pilot study

OBJECTIVESPrimary cardiac manifestation is a common complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc) with poor prognosis. The aim of the current study was to detect potential myocardial inflammation present in asymptomatic SSc patients by 18F-FDG-PET/CT and to investigate its relationship with early signs of myocardial dysfunction as detected by 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE). METHODSSixteen consecutive patients with SSc and 9 control patients without clinical evidence of cardiac involvement were enrolled in the study. On 18F-FDG-PET acquired images blood-pool normalised SUV ratio and heterogenity index (HI: standard deviation of SUV divided with mean SUV) were calculated. Within 24 hours all SSc patients underwent 2DSTE strain analysis. RESULTSEight of 16 SSc patients were found to be visually PET-positive and showed significantly higher myocardial 18F-FDG SUV ratio (1.78±0.74 vs. 0.98±0.03; p