Hypermetabolism of basal ganglia in chorea associated with antiphospholipid antibodies demonstrated by F-18 FDG

Abstract

A brain FDG PET study was performed on a 21-year-old woman with subacute chorea of unknown origin. Associated with her chorea, she had abnormal levels of antiphospholipid antibodies. She had none of the classical features of SLE nor primary antiphospholipid syndrome. The images showed high F-18 FDG uptake in the basal ganglia, while the brain MRI and EEG were normal. An association between chorea and antiphospholipid antibodies had been demonstrated before, with normal brain CT, MRI, 123IMPSPECT and cerebral angiography. The report suggests the advantage of FDG PET in imaging of unexplained cases of chorea associated with antiphospholipid antibodies.