Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A new ray of hope!

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease with median survival of 2–3 years. It is described as fibroproliferative rather than pro-inflammatory disorder with limited treatment options. IPF diagnostics and therapeutics are a hot topic of current research. We describe a case elaborating the utility of the whole body positron emission tomography with 2-deoxy-2-(fluorine-18) fluoro-D-glucose (F-18 FDG) integrated with computed tomography technique in IPF. The area of most intense pulmonary F--18 FDG uptake corresponded to regions of honeycombing suggesting metabolically active disease amenable to pharmacologic intervention. Additional F--18 FDG uptake was seen in mediastinal nodes implying an extrapulmonary component of disease.