Patient characteristics
| . | FDG-PET negative (n=16 patients) . | FDG-PET positive (n=14 patients) . |
|---|---|---|
| Intestinal GVHD positive, no. patients | 3 | 14 |
| Intestinal GVHD negative, no. patients | 13 | 0 |
| Symptoms, no. patients | ||
| Nausea/vomiting | 6 | 6 |
| Diarrhea > 500 mL/d | 11 | 7 |
| Diarrhea > 1000 mL/d | 5 | 7 |
| Positive microbiological findings | 9 | 6 |
| No. patients* | ||
| Clostridium difficile toxin | 4 | 1 |
| VRE | 1 | 4 |
| CMV | 3 | 1 |
| HHV 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Hepatitis B virus | 1 | 1 |
| Candida spp. | 3 | 0 |
| GVHD of the skin | 8 | 10 |
| Suspected GVHD of the liver | 3 | 2 |
| Clinical grading of GVHD at PET examination, no. patients | ||
| II | 10 | 7 |
| III | 6 | 7 |
| . | FDG-PET negative (n=16 patients) . | FDG-PET positive (n=14 patients) . |
|---|---|---|
| Intestinal GVHD positive, no. patients | 3 | 14 |
| Intestinal GVHD negative, no. patients | 13 | 0 |
| Symptoms, no. patients | ||
| Nausea/vomiting | 6 | 6 |
| Diarrhea > 500 mL/d | 11 | 7 |
| Diarrhea > 1000 mL/d | 5 | 7 |
| Positive microbiological findings | 9 | 6 |
| No. patients* | ||
| Clostridium difficile toxin | 4 | 1 |
| VRE | 1 | 4 |
| CMV | 3 | 1 |
| HHV 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Hepatitis B virus | 1 | 1 |
| Candida spp. | 3 | 0 |
| GVHD of the skin | 8 | 10 |
| Suspected GVHD of the liver | 3 | 2 |
| Clinical grading of GVHD at PET examination, no. patients | ||
| II | 10 | 7 |
| III | 6 | 7 |
FDG-PET results were blinded to treating physicians; the diagnosis of intestinal GVHD was made on the basis of clinical symptoms and signs (eg, stool volume quantification) and histopathologic results.
VRE indicates vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus; CMV, cytomegalovirus; and HHV6, human herpesvirus 6.
Microbiological results from stool analyses within 2 weeks of PET scan. CMV reactivation was diagnosed from blood samples; in none of the patients, histology showed evidence for intestinal CMV infection.