O10 Role of F18-FDG PET-CT scan in diagnosis and assessment of disease activity of Takayasu’s arteritis—preliminary results A Kavimandan, R Gupta, R Kumar, A Malhotra, S Sharma, GS Gulati, S Singh Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Introduction: The standard investigation for Takayasu’s arteritis (TA) is digital subtraction angiography, which is invasive and gives less functional information about the activity of disease. PET-CT has been shown to be useful in early diagnosis of large vessel vasculitis in few studies with limited number of patients. The present study was aimed to determine the value of PET-CT in the diagnosis and monitoring of TA. Methods: Prospective follow up study. Patients with active TA fulfilling the ACR (1990) criteria have been included. All the patients underwent FDG-PET-CT scan to find out disease activity. PET-CT scan was repeated after 6 to 8 weeks of standard treatment to monitor response to ther- apy. Ethic committee approval: yes. Results: PET-CT showed increased FDG uptake suggestive of active disease in 10 of the 12 patients in arch of aorta and its branches, while one patient showed an increased uptake in renal arteries. All these patients had high ESR/CRP. In the two patients, although clinical and laboratory parameters indicated active disease however, PET scan did not show any increased FDG uptake. In follow up scans after 6–8 weeks of standard therapy 8 out of 10 patients with TA showed a decrease in 18 FDG uptake in large vessels. In one patient, there was no change, whereas in another patient with TA in spite of clinical improvement PET-CT scan showed increased 18 FDG uptake in thoracic arteries. Conclusion: PET-CT appears to be a promising technique for the diagnosis and monitoring of the disease activity in patients with TA. O11 ANA negative lupus—is it a myth? SRajeswari, C Panchapakesa Rajendran, TN Tamilselvan, PS Arul Raja Murugan, S Rukmangatharajan, P Kanakarani, R Ravichandran Madras Medical College, Chennai and Department of Rheumatology, Government General Hospital, EVR High Road, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Objective: To study the evolution of ANA negative lupus. Methods: Out of 339 Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients, 17 registered at the Department of Rheumatology, Government General Hospital, Chennai between August 2000 and January 2006, who were initially anti nuclear antibody (ANA) negative by mouse liver substrate evaluation. They were followed up for a minimum of one and a maximum of six years. ANA was done using mouse liver, Hep-2 cells and ELISA as per availability. Anti-ds DNA, complement, ENA, LAC, anticardiolipin antibody, relevant hematological, biochemical and histopathological investigations were done. Results: Female to male ratio was 16 : 1, with 5 children, mean age, 30 years and mean duration, 1 year. Evident manifestations with negative ANA were cutaneous, arthritis (10); fever (5); gangrene, hypertension, cardiac (4); palatal ulcers, lymphadenopathy, myositis, renal (2); purpura, abortion and seizures (1); Hb < 10 gm (6); ESR > 50 mm/h (–7); CRP 12 mg/l (3); elevated liver enzymes (8); reduced complement (3); positive ENA (3); aCl (7); b2 GP1 (5), anti-ds DNA (1). Follow up revealed (a) cutaneous, palmoplantar vasculitis, thrombocytopenia, abortion and renal involvement and (b) positive ANA (mouse liver) (4); Hep-2 (5); ELISA (2); ENA (5); anti-ds DNA (2); aCl (4) and negative ANA (4); two patients were lost to follow up. Conclusions: Persistently negative ANA and ENA were encountered in four patients with biopsy proven skin lesions, class IV nephritis in one patient and anti-ds DNA positivity in one patient. Associations included: (1) elevated liver enzymes, (2) gangrene/vasculitis with Jo-1 positivity and (3) reduced complement, positive aCl, LAC and B2GP I during ANA negativity. O12 Giant cell arteritis in Mumbai. A study of 16 cases S Singh 1 , C Balakrishnan 1 , G Mangat 1 , R Samant 1 , M Bambani 3 , S Kalke 2 , VR Joshi 1 1 PD Hinduja National Hospital, 2 Leelavati Hospital, 3 Prince Aly Khan and Breach candy Hospital, Mumbai. Objective: To study the clinical profile of patients with giant cell arthritis (GCA). Methods: Age, sex, clinical manifestations, colour doppler study, temporal artery biopsy, treatment and follow up data of patients of GCA seen between 1990 and 2005 were analyzed. Results: Number of patients: 16, Age: median 66.5 years (range 58–78). Sex: males 8, females 8. Mean time to diagnosis 5.18 months (0.5–24). Presenting manifestations: new headache (14), fever (9), weight loss (9), jaw claudication (9), polymyalgia rheumatica (5), visual disturbances (3), Abstracts of papers presented in IRACON-2006 Oral Papers 143