Non-FDG PET/CT imaging of inflammatory arthritis.

Inflammatory arthritis represents a frequent cause of disability among adults, with a huge worldwide negative societal impact. Although clinical and laboratory evaluation of patients with inflammatory arthritis still constitutes the basis of management for these patients, conventional medical imaging has traditionally provided an important aid in the assessment of these conditions. There is a pressing need to obtain an independent, objective, and reproducible imaging evaluation to support the diagnosis of disorders that are difficult to assess or determine response to an increasing number of frequently expensive treatment modalities.