PET imaging of inflammation in atherosclerosis
Top Cited Papers
- 10 June 2014
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Reviews Cardiology
- Vol. 11 (8), 443-457
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2014.80
Abstract
PET imaging of atherosclerosis can quantify several in vivo pathological processes occurring within the arterial system. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is the most-commonly used PET tracer, with well-established roles in atherosclerosis imaging. In this context, the (18)F-FDG signal largely reflects tracer uptake by plaque macrophages and, therefore, inflammation with smaller contributions from other resident cell types. As a marker of plaque vulnerability, the (18)F-FDG PET signal can be used to help to identify patients at the highest risk of clinical events. (18)F-FDG PET has also been used successfully as a surrogate end point in clinical trials of antiatherosclerotic therapies. Nonetheless, imaging atherosclerosis with (18)F-FDG has several limitations. Most importantly, coronary artery imaging is problematic because (18)F-FDG accumulates in all cells that metabolize glucose, and background myocardial uptake is generally greater than any signal originating from a plaque. To help to overcome these limitations, several novel PET tracers, which might be more-specifically targeted than (18)F-FDG, have been tested in atherosclerosis imaging. These tracers are designed to track inflammation, hypoxia, neoangiogenesis, or active calcification, which are all precursors to plaque rupture and its clinical sequelae.Keywords
This publication has 177 references indexed in Scilit:
- Imaging atherosclerosis with hybrid [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging: What Leonardo da Vinci could not seeJournal of Nuclear Cardiology, 2012
- Myocardial infarction accelerates atherosclerosisNature, 2012
- Molecular Pathways Regulating Macrophage Polarization: Implications for AtherosclerosisCurrent Atherosclerosis Reports, 2012
- Hemoglobin Directs Macrophage Differentiation and Prevents Foam Cell Formation in Human Atherosclerotic PlaquesJournal of the American College of Cardiology, 2012
- High-resolution imaging of human atherosclerotic carotid plaques with micro18F-FDG PET scanning exploring plaque vulnerabilityJournal of Nuclear Cardiology, 2011
- Protective and pathogenic functions of macrophage subsetsNature Reviews Immunology, 2011
- Monocytes in atherosclerosis: subsets and functionsNature Reviews Cardiology, 2010
- Evaluation of translocator protein quantification as a tool for characterising macrophage burden in human carotid atherosclerosisAtherosclerosis, 2010
- Multimodality imaging of atherosclerotic plaque activity and composition using FDG-PET/CT and MRI in carotid and femoral arteriesAtherosclerosis, 2009
- A hypothesis for vulnerable plaque rupture due to stress-induced debonding around cellular microcalcifications in thin fibrous capsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2006