Multimodality imaging to assess diagnosis and evaluate complications of large vesselarteritis

J Nucl Cardiol. 2024 Apr 24:101864. doi: 10.1016/j.nuclcard.2024.101864. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Different types of vasculitis can be distinguished according to the blood vessel's size that is preferentially affected: large-vessel, medium-vessel, and small-vessel vasculitides. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) are the main forms of large-vessel vasculitis, and may lead to lumen narrowing. Clinical manifestations of arterial narrowing on the short- and long term include vision loss, stroke, limb ischemia, and heart failure. Imaging tools are well established diagnostic tests for large-vessel vasculitis and may aid therapy monitoring in selected cases while providing important information regarding the occurrence of vascular damage, tissue and organ complications. This review aims to provide the current status of multimodality imaging for the diagnosis and identification of vascular complications in the field of large vessel vasculitis.

Keywords: Complications; Future trends; Large vessel vasculitis; Multimodality imaging; PET.

Publication types

  • Review