{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,10]],"date-time":"2026-03-10T23:21:27Z","timestamp":1773184887573,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,13]],"date-time":"2021-09-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1631491200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by recurrent inflammation and destruction of cartilage. Although auricular chondritis is a characteristic finding in RP, it can be difficult to diagnose in the absence of auricular symptoms. A 64-year-old Japanese male was referred to our hospital with fever and respiratory distress. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed bronchial wall thickening and we suspected RP; however, he had no auricular symptoms and did not meet the diagnostic McAdam criteria for RP, so we used 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography\/CT (FDG-PET\/CT) to search for other cartilage lesions. This analysis revealed FDG accumulation not only in the bronchial walls, but also in the left auricle. Instead of a bronchial biopsy using a bronchoscope, we performed a biopsy of the left auricular cartilage, which is considered a relatively less invasive site. Even though the auricle was asymptomatic, the pathology results revealed chondritis. He was diagnosed with RP, and his symptoms rapidly improved with corticosteroid therapy. A biopsy of asymptomatic auricular cartilage may be useful in the diagnosis of RP. FDG-PET\/CT is a powerful tool for the early diagnosis of RP, identifying inflammatory areas even in the absence of symptoms, and guiding the selection of appropriate biopsy sites.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life11090956","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,13]],"date-time":"2021-09-13T23:32:23Z","timestamp":1631575943000},"page":"956","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["FDG-PET\/CT and Auricular Cartilage Biopsy Are Useful for Diagnosing with Relapsing Polychondritis in Patients without Auricular Symptoms"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Saki","family":"Okuda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, Kindai University Nara Hospital, Nara 630-0293, Japan"},{"name":"Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kindai University School of Medicine, Osaka 589-8511, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9472-4103","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yasuaki","family":"Hirooka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, Kindai University Nara Hospital, Nara 630-0293, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tetsu","family":"Itami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kindai University School of Medicine, Osaka 589-8511, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2810-1519","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yuji","family":"Nozaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kindai University School of Medicine, Osaka 589-8511, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Masafumi","family":"Sugiyama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, Kindai University Nara Hospital, Nara 630-0293, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Koji","family":"Kinoshita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kindai University School of Medicine, Osaka 589-8511, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Masanori","family":"Funauchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kindai University School of Medicine, Osaka 589-8511, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Itaru","family":"Matsumura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kindai University School of Medicine, Osaka 589-8511, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.1097\/00005792-197605000-00001","article-title":"Relapsing polychondritis: Prospective study of 23 patients and a review of the literature","volume":"55","author":"McAdam","year":"1976","journal-title":"Medicine"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114","DOI":"10.7326\/0003-4819-129-2-199807150-00011","article-title":"Trentham DE, Le CH. 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