Impact and Utility of PET Versus Clinical Score for the Assessment of Inflammatory Activity in Takayasu Arteritis

Impact and Utility of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) for the Assessment of Inflammatory Activity Arteritis Versus Clinical Score and Laboratory Values in Takayasu Arteritis: a Cohort Study

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that [18F]FDG PET is a a better method than clinical and laboratory values for the identification and assessment of inflammatory activity in patients with Takayasu Arteritis (TA), allowing long-term follow-up with a precise evaluation of response to therapy.

Inflammatory activity and fibrosis are the main causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with Takayasu arteritis. The investigators objective is to determine the utility of using 18F-FDG PET in the basal evaluation and follow-up of patients and compare the results with Dabague's clinical score.

Inclusion Criteria:

• TA was diagnosed if the patient met 3 or more ACR criteria.