Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39903226›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging2025

An in-depth comparison of vascular inflammation on ultrasound, FDG-PET/CT and MRI in patients with suspected giant cell arteritis.

Marieke van Nieuwland, Pieter H Nienhuis, Cees Haagsma, Kornelis S M van der Geest, Nils R L Wagenaar, Auke P A Appelman, Onno D Vijlbrief, Lenny van Bon, Edgar M Colin, Elisabeth Brouwer and 2 more

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Marieke van NieuwlandDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. m.van.nieuwland@umcg.nl.ORCID 0000-0002-2188-6117
Pieter H NienhuisMedical Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Cees HaagsmaDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Hospital Group Twente (Ziekenhuisgroep Twente), Almelo, the Netherlands.
Kornelis S M van der GeestDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Nils R L WagenaarDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital Group Twente, Almelo, The Netherlands.
Auke P A AppelmanMedical Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Onno D VijlbriefDepartment of Radiology, Hospital Group Twente (Ziekenhuisgroep Twente), Almelo, the Netherlands.
Lenny van BonDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Hospital Group Twente (Ziekenhuisgroep Twente), Almelo, the Netherlands.
Edgar M ColinDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Hospital Group Twente (Ziekenhuisgroep Twente), Almelo, the Netherlands.
Elisabeth BrouwerDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Riemer H J A SlartMedical Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Celina AlvesDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Hospital Group Twente (Ziekenhuisgroep Twente), Almelo, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGiant cell arteritis (GCA) is a difficult to diagnose large vessel vasculitis. CDUS, FDG-PET/CT and MRI are increasingly used for GCA diagnosis. This study aims to assess vascular wall lesions in GCA suspected patients, directly comparing CDUS, FDG-PET/CT and MRI with each other.

methodsIn a nested-case control study, consecutive GCA suspected patients were included. Scans were retrospectively assessed by two experts per imaging modality. Inter- and intraobserver agreement using Cohen's or Fleiss Kappa were calculated to assess agreement between experts, a few duplicated scans and between imaging modalities. Sensitivity and specificity of the imaging modalities for overall diagnostic performance and for individual arteries were calculated.

resultsIn total, 42 patients were included. Overall diagnostic performance of imaging modalities was comparable. Sensitivity and specificity were highest in the temporal artery for CDUS (76% and 93%; Kappa > 0.7) and MRI (60% and 100%; Kappa > 0.7), and in the vertebral (61% and 100%; Kappa 0.56) and maxillary artery (52% and 100%; Kappa 0.75) for FDG-PET/CT. Agreement between all modalities for a positive temporal artery was 0.76, but only 0.28 between CDUS and FDG-PET/CT. Agreement for the axillary artery was 0.7 between CDUS and FDG-PET/CT.

conclusionThe temporal artery can be assessed by CDUS and MRI with good sensitivity and high specificity, and the axillary artery by CDUS and FDG-PET/CT with high agreement between the two modalities. In addition, the vertebral and maxillary artery can be assessed by FDG-PET/CT with good sensitivity and specificity, however the vertebral artery had moderate interobserver agreement.

Indexed as

Fluorodeoxyglucose F18Giant Cell ArteritisMagnetic Resonance ImagingPositron Emission Tomography Computed TomographyAgedAged, 80 and overCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansInflammationMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSensitivity and SpecificityUltrasonographyFluorodeoxyglucose F18DiagnosisGiant Cell ArteritisImagingMRIPETUltrasound

Identifiers

PMID39903226
PMCPMC12119766

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.