PET in the diagnostic management of infectious/inflammatory pulmonary pathologies: a revisit in the era of COVID-19

In patients with respiratory infectious/inflammations, molecular imaging methods such as PET would complement the conventional anatomic imaging techniques such as radiographs and CT by mapping the underlying pathophysiologic processes. PET will provide excellent information regarding the disease activity and will assist in predicting disease progression and will support the development of novel therapies targeting viral replication or host responses. Although the novel respiratory viral diseases, such as COVID-19, H1N1 influenza, and SARS, will inevitably continue to remerge, molecular imaging can help to reduce their impact on public health. It should be highlighted that PET/CT is not recommended in emergency settings; however, as a unique potent molecular method, it will offer a great chance to visualize the underlying inflammatory mechanism directly and assist the discovery of new biomarkers or novel therapies against these viral pathogens. Moreover, due to its ability to evaluate early metabolic changes a the cellular level, PET/CT might be a better marker of disease activity and extension in pulmonary infectious/ inflammatory pathologies. © 2020 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.