Impact of Confirmed Autoimmune Encephalitis on Brain Glucose Metabolism

Prospective cohort study evaluating FDG PET in 56 patients with confirmed autoimmune encephalitis - based on 2016 Graus criteria, and 2021 paraneoplastic neurological syndromes criteria - at the acute phase, before immunomodulating treatment, or within 10 days of treatment initiation.

Autoimmune encephalitis is a diagnostic challenge, and requires early diagnosis for improved neurological outcomes. FDG PET has shown very high sensitivity, suggesting better performances than MRI, but almost exclusively in small sized retrospective studies. Brain FDG PET is therefore not included in current diagnostic criteria, conversely to brain MRI. This study will include 56 patients with confirmed - seropositive or seronegative - autoimmune encephalitis, based on 2016 Graus criteria for autoimmune encephalitis and 2021 criteria for paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. The main objective is to conduct a prospective evaluation of the diagnostic value of FDG PET performed in the acute phase before treatment initiation, or within 10 days of treatment initiation. A follow-up PET performed 3 months after treatment initiation will also be performed and analysed for all patients as part of secondary objective analyses.