The Clinical Impact of Using ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT in the Diagnosis of Suspected Vasculitis: The Effect of Dose and Timing of Glucocorticoid Treatment

Table 3

Characteristics of vasculitis patients.

	^18F-FDG-PET/CT positive (n = 21)	^18F-FDG-PET/CT negative (n = 17)	value
Female sex, n (%)	14 (66.7)	9 (52.9)	0.389
Age, years, mean (SD)	68.0 (12.1)	64.2 (15.0)	0.390
CRP max, mg/l, mean (SD)	154.5 (100.2)	90.4 (55.6)	0.018
PCT max, μg/l, mean (SD)	0.12 (0.09), n = 17	0.22 (0.02), n = 12	0.137
ANCA positive, n (%)	3 (14.3)	4 (23.5)	0.478
Prednisolone at scanning moment, mg, median [IQR]	15.0 [40.0]	40.0 [30.0]	0.004
Prednisolone prior scanning, d, median [IQR]	4.0 [9]	7.0 [154]	0.034
Prednisolone cumulative dose, mg, median [IQR]	120 [1120]	360 [1965]	0.096
Fever over 38°C	14 (66.7)	8 (47.1)	0.224

SD, standard deviation; CRP, C-reactive protein; PCT, procalcitonin; IQR, interquartile range; ANCA, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. Significant at value <0.05.