The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.

SMJ // Article

Letter to the Editor

The Role of Positron Emission Tomography for the Diagnosis and Follow up of a Patient with Sarcoidosis and Takayasu Arteritis

Authors: Nurdan Kokturk, MD, Haluk Turktas, MD, Mehmet Akif Ozturk, MD, Handan Aksoy, MD, Tamer Atasever, MD

Abstract

To the Editor:


Takayasu arteritis (TA) is an uncommon chronic granulomatous disease of the large vessels. Sarcoidosis is also a systemic granulomatous disorder occasionally associated with vasculitis. Although it is not clear whether there is a pathogenetic association, the concurrence of sarcoidosis and TA has been previously described in 5 case reports.1 We present a patient diagnosed as having both sarcoidosis and TA. FDG-PET (18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography) aided in the diagnosis of active disease and was also used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.

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References

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2. Arend WP, Michel BA, Bloch DA, et al. The American College of Rheumatology 1990 criteria for the classification of Takayasu arteritis. Arthritis Rheum 1990;33:1129–1134.
 
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