Visualising vasculitis
Visualising vasculitis
This PhD thesis of Pieter Nienhuis focused on giant cell arteritis (GCA), an inflammation of large blood vessels near the heart and head. Without timely treatment, GCA can cause serious problems, including permanent vision loss.
Inflamed blood vessels can be detected using PET/CT scans. However, scan results can vary depending on timing, technique, and how the images are interpreted. The studies in this PhD thesis offers strategies to make results more accurate and consistent, such as always including artery assessment in the head region. It also shows that some measurement methods only work if adjusted for each patient, while 3D measurements could better track disease activity. PET/CT provides additional value over other types of scans.
Looking ahead, artificial intelligence could help standardize how scans are analysed and new types of PET/CT scans can further improve diagnosis, monitoring, and understanding of this disease.