The Relationship Between Rheumatologic Disorders and Malignancies.

A variety of conditions mimicking rheumatologic syndromes may be associated with an underlying malignancy. Therefore, distinguishing these syndromes from more common, nonparaneoplastic rheumatologic conditions can be perplexing. Some autoimmune conditions and the medications used for their management can be associated with increased future risk of malignancy.

Rheumatologic Manifestations of Malignancy.

A variety of conditions mimicking rheumatologic syndromes may be associated with an underlying malignancy. Therefore, distinguishing these syndromes from more common, nonparaneoplastic rheumatologic conditions can be perplexing. Some autoimmune conditions and the medications used for their management can be associated with increased future risk of malignancy.

Future and upcoming non-neoplastic applications of PET/CT imaging.

The role of fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in the diagnosis, staging, and monitoring of neoplastic conditions is well established. The clinical utility of PET/CT has now expanded to the diagnosis of autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, as well as non-neoplastic conditions, such as the vasculitides, atherosclerosis, and granulomatous conditions, including sarcoidosis and inflammatory bowel disease, in addition to a variety of neurologic disorders. The availability of new PET radiotracers is expected to expand PET/CT applications to a variety of other clinical domains.

PET/CT imaging in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the classical immune-complex disease. Involvement of vital organs, particularly the kidneys and brain, accounts for significant morbidity and mortality. A number of imaging tools are currently available for evaluation of inflammatory conditions.

Ultrasound in the diagnosis of noninflammatory musculoskeletal conditions.

Ultrasonography is a growing technique for the evaluation of superficial structures, such as tendons, ligaments, muscles, joints, nerves, masses, and cysts. Attractive features, including lower cost in comparison with MRI, lack of ionizing radiation, ability to dynamically assess structures, reliable use of unaffected side as an internal control, as well as safety in patients with contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging further expand its application. Power Doppler can determine the extent of target tissue perfusion.

Ultrasound in the diagnosis of noninflammatory musculoskeletal conditions.

Sonography is an attractive tool for the diagnosis of musculoskeletal conditions. The clinician can evaluate the anatomic segment during active and/or passive flexion and extension maneuvers, and its real-time capability allows imaging in positions that trigger symptoms. Scanning the contralateral asymptomatic extremity can be used as a reference for normal anatomy in a given patient.