Sarcopenia and Myositis Revisited: Emerging Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose PET in Muscle Imaging

Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) is a valuable diagnostic modality in the work-up of patients with suspected inflammatory myopathy. Sarcopenia and metabolic muscle activity on staging FDG PET/CT has been shown to correlate with overall survival in certain oncologic settings. Knowledge of the physiologic FDG uptake in skeletal muscles and optimization of imaging protocols are key for proper image analysis.