Author (year) Study design Patients Controls Technique Method of analysis Description Standard of reference Diagnostic performance
Blockmans et al. (1999) [25 ] Prospective 11 23 PET Qualitative Visual grading scale ACR criteria + TAB Not specified Blockmans et al. (2000) [26 ] Prospective 25 44 PET Qualitative Visual grading scale Clinical symptoms + TAB Thoracic vessels Sensitivity: 56% Specificity: 98% PPV: 93% NPV: 80% Legs Sensitivity: 64% Specificity: 77% Meller et al. (2003) [27 ] Prospective 15 Group 1: 38 Group 2: 40 PET and PET/CT Qualitative Visual grading scale ACR criteria Sensitivity: 73% Specificity: 100% Bleeker-Rovers et al. (2003) [28 ] Retrospective 22 — PET Qualitative Positive/negative ACR criteria Sensitivity: 77% Specificity: 100% PPV: 100% NPV: 82% Moosig et al. (2004) [29 ] Prospective 13 6 PET Qualitative and semiquantitative Positive/negative and SUV vascular/lung ratio PMR: exclusion of other causes of inflammation + Chuang and Healy criteria Sensitivity: 100% Specificity: 100% Brodmann et al. (2004) [30 ] Prospective 22 — PET Qualitative Positive/negative ACR criteria + positive hypoechogenic halo on DUS Not specified Scheel et al. (2004) [31 ] Prospective 8 — PET and PET/CT Qualitative Positive/negative Clinical symptoms Not specified Walter et al. (2005) [32 ] Prospective 20 26 PET Qualitative Visual grading scale ACR criteria Sensitivity: 60% Specificity: 99.8% PPV: 99.7% NPV: 67.9% Accuracy: 78.6% Blockmans et al. (2006) [21 ] Prospective 35 — PET Semiquantitative Visual grading scale TAB Not specified Blockmans et al. (2007) [33 ] Prospective 35 — PET Semiquantitative Visual grading scale PMR: clinical + negative TAB Not specified Henes et al. (2008) [34 ] Prospective 13 — PET/CT Qualitative and semiquantitative Positive/negative and highest SUVmax vascular Clinical and diagnostic work-up (including DUS, MRI, CT, and TAB) Sensitivity: 90% Specificity: 100% Hautzel et al. (2008) [35 ] Prospective 18 Group 1: 36 Group 2: 18 PET Semiquantitative Highest SUVmax aorta/liver ratio ACR criteria or diagnostic work-up (including DUS, TAB, CT, and MRI) Cut-off: 1.0 Sensitivity: 88.9% Specificity: 94.4%–95.1% Accuracy: 91.7%–93.2% PPV: 78.8%–88.9% NPV: 95.1%–97.7% Both et al. (2008) [36 ] Prospective 25 — PET Qualitative Visual grading scale Birmingham vasculitis activity score (BVAS.2) Not specified Lehmann et al. (2011) [37 ] Retrospective 20 20 PET Qualitative and semiquantitative Positive/negative and highest SUVmax Clinical (ACR) diagnosis confirmed by histology or MRI angiography Visual grading Sensitivity: 65% Specificity: 80% SUVmax (cut-off 1.78) Sensitivity: 90% Specificity: 45% Henes et al. (2011) [38 ] Retrospective 10 — PET/CT Qualitative Visual grading scale Clinical symptoms Not specified Hooisma et al. (2012) [39 ] Retrospective 62 242 PET/CT Qualitative Positive/negative Clinical symptoms Not specified Yamashita et al. (2012) [40 ] Retrospective 27 17 PET/CT Semiquantitative Visual grading scale PMR: Chuang et al. and Healy’s criteria; no clinical evidence of temporal arteritis Not specified Besson et al. (2013) [41 ]
Retrospective 33
11
PET/CT Semiquantitative : highest SUVmax arterial/liver ratio
ACR criteria + TAB Method C at aortic arch: cut-off value of 1.53 : average SUVmax arterial/liver ratio : highest SUVmax arterial/lung ratio
Sensitivity: 81.8% : average SUVmax arterial/lung ratio : highest arterial SUVmax/highest venous SUVmax
Specificity: 91% : average arterial SUVmax/venous blood pool activity
Prieto-González et al. (2014) [24 ] Prospective 32 20 PET/CT Semiquantitative Highest SUVmax vascular/liver ratio TAB Any vascular territory (cut-off of 1.89) Sensitivity: 80% Specificity: 79% Epiaortic vessels (cut-off of 1.70) Sensitivity: 81% Specificity: 79% Aorta (cut-off 2.25) Sensitivity: 90% Specificity: 42% Aorta (cut-off 2.65) Sensitivity: 58% Specificity: 90%