Publication date: Jun 17, 2026
Brain [18F]FDG PET can reveal metabolic abnormalities that precede, exceed, or clarify structural MR imaging findings. Among inflammatory brain diseases, the strongest clinical rationale is currently in autoimmune encephalitis, where fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET increases diagnostic sensitivity, supports syndrome-oriented metabolic pattern recognition, and may contribute to selected follow-up. In viral encephalitis, use is selective rather than routine. In post-coronavirus infectious disease (COVID) condition and related postinfectious syndromes, FDG PET may support biological stratification and differential diagnosis in a subset of patients. Interpretation remains highly dependent on clinical context and methods. Translocator protein (TSPO) PET adds mechanistic information on neuroimmune activation but belongs mainly to the research domain.
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Encephalitis |
| disease | MESH | Syndromes |
| disease | MESH | brain diseases |
| disease | MESH | autoimmune encephalitis |
| disease | MESH | viral encephalitis |
| disease | MESH | infectious disease |
| pathway | REACTOME | Infectious disease |
| pathway | REACTOME | Metabolism |
| disease | MESH | Long COVID |
| disease | MESH | Neuroinflammation |