Diagnostic performance of <Superscript>18</Superscript>F-FDG PET/CT and whole-body MRI before and early after treatment of multiple myeloma: a prospective comparative study

Objective

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of WB-MRI and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in detecting infiltration pattern, disease activity, and response to treatment in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).

Materials and methods

Fifty-six patients with confirmed MM were included in the present study for pre-treatment evaluation. Among these individuals, 22 patients were available for the post-treatment evaluation of response to therapy. All patients were imaged with both WB-MRI and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT. All radiographic findings of infiltration pattern, disease activity, and response to therapy were compared. The diagnostic performance of both modalities was estimated using bone marrow aspirate and biopsy as the reference test.

Results

For detection of active myelomatous tissue at diagnosis, WB-MRI achieved higher sensitivity (94%) than ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT (75%) (p?=?0.0039), whereas both modalities achieved the same specificity (80%). For detection of residual myelomatous tissue after treatment, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT achieved higher specificity (86%) than WB-MRI (43%) (p?=?0.0081), whereas both modalities achieved the same sensitivity (75%).

Conclusion

WB-MRI is more sensitive than ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of MM before treatment; however, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT is more specific than WB-MRI in detecting residual involvement in treated patients.

     

Ringworm in animals in a farm in Assiut

Bericht über das Auftreten von Hautmykosen bei Tieren auf der Farm der Landwirtschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Assiut. Von 70 Kälbern waren 42 pilzkrank, davon 22 durch T. mentagrophytes, 20 durch T. verrucosum. Von 180 Kühen waren 8 pilzbefalien, sämtlich durch T. mentagrophytes. Von 2 kranken Bullen wurde T. verrucosum isoliert. Auch die 3 Pferde und 2 Maultiere der Farm waren pilzinfiziert; Erreger war in diesen Fällen T. equinum. Auch ein Kalb war von T. equinum befallen. Die gleiche Pilzart wurde ferner von 3 Tierpflegern isoliert, die Pilzherde am Hals und an den Armen aufwiesen.