Role of 18F-FDG-PET imaging in the diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis

Establishing the clinical diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis can be challenging as patients present with various unspecific symptoms.1 In a Position Paper1 in The Lancet Neurology, Francesc Graus and colleagues proposed an initial diagnostic work-up relying on conventional neurological evaluation and standard diagnostic tests such as MRI, CSF sampling, and EEG. This approach would enable clinicians to make a timely diagnosis of "possible autoimmune encephalitis", allowing initiation of immunotherapy. In a second step, the authors proposed comprehensive antibody testing to help to establish a diagnosis of "probable autoimmune encephalitis" or "defi nite autoimmune encephalitis", potentially enabling refinement of treatment.