Abstract
We studied the effectiveness of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in detecting inflammation in known or suspected cases of sclerosing peritonitis in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). We undertook FDG-PET scanning in PD patients presenting with symptoms or signs suggestive of sclerosing peritonitis (SP), and in patients on long-term PD with no symptoms of SP. The study was performed in a PD unit in a tertiary-care hospital. Three patients with known or strongly suspected SP underwent FDG-PET scans, 1 within 3 months of presentation with symptoms and 2 who were scanned more than 9 months after presentation. One patient was scanned at an early and a late time point. Five patients who had been on PD for more than 5 years and who were asymptomatic also underwent FDG-PET scanning. Scans were interpreted by a specialist in nuclear medicine. The scan performed in the early stages of SP showed increased peritoneal uptake. However, three scans taken more than 9 months after presentation with suspected SP showed mild peritoneal abnormalities only. One of 5 asymptomatic long-term PD patients showed increased peritoneal uptake associated with loss of ultrafiltration and high transporter status. FDG-PET scanning may be a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of the acute phase of SP. More study is needed to define its role in the diagnosis of SP in asymptomatic PD patients.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have