Nonprosthesis Orthopedic Applications of 18F Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose PET in the Detection of Osteomyelitis

This article describes the impact of [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) PET in the diagnosis of non–prosthesis-related orthopedic infections and inflammation. FDG-PET has an excellent sensitivity in the detection of osteomyelitis (OM). Early data indicate that FDG-PET may be more specific than MRI in diagnosing OM. The role of the combination of FDG and PET-CT in the diagnosis of OM is likely to be determined as this combination is used on a routine basis. Early data from studies in rheumatoid arthritis indicate that FDG-PET is highly accurate in early diagnosis and that it provides results comparable to the most advanced conventional techniques.