Image fusion between 18F-FDG PET and MRI in cardiac sarcoidosis: A case series

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder of unknown etiology. it is distinguished by the presence of noncaseating epithelioid granulomas. this study demonstrates the use of image fusion between (18)f-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (18f-fdg pet) and magnetic resonance imaging (mri) to diagnose patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (cs). seven patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis were retrospectively included. all patients underwent 18f-fdg pet/ct and cardiac mri. on the mri scan, late gadolinium enhancement (lge) was observed in five patients. t2-weighted images revealed areas with an increased signal consistent with myocardial edema in two patients and with hypointensity suggesting fibrosis in one patient. increased 18f-fdg uptake was seen in the myocardial wall in three patients, indicating active inflammation. 18f-fdg pet and mri image fusion allows clinicians to obtain complete morphofunctional cartography in patients with sarcoidosis. our data show that 18f-fdg pet/mri image fusion imaging can be useful in the diagnosis of cs.