Pericardial Diseases

Abstract

Pericardial effusions and pericarditis are frequently encountered conditions but determining their etiology remains challenging, as pericardial diseases can be associated with many different conditions. Nonetheless, identifying the underlying cause can be crucial in order to provide appropriate treatment. Furthermore, pericardial involvement is often a manifestation of a systemic process. Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is emerging as a useful imaging tool for the evaluation of pericardial disease. In particular, this modality can provide clinically useful information in patients with pericardial disease secondary to many different conditions such as autoimmune diseases, infectious pericarditis, and neoplastic pericardial disease. In addition, FDG-PET allows for the quantification of disease activity and can be useful in the assessment of therapy response. The purpose of this chapter is to review the role and utility of FDG-PET in the assessment of pericardial diseases.