Can vascular wall 18F-FDG uptake on PET imaging serve as a biomarker of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque?

摘要

Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques, which are highly inflammatory but not flow limiting, account for most cardiovascular events. Current cardiovascular imaging modalities are based on anatomic detection of artery luminal narrowing and are unable to detect vulnerable plaques. Preliminary data indicate the role of vascular FDG uptake as a biomarker of vulnerable plaque. Direct visualization of coronary artery plaques may become clinically feasible in the near future with the development of a PET/CT technology optimized for cardiovascular imaging, along with progress in standardization of cardiac PET imaging protocol, such as dietary preparation, acquisition mode, acquisition time after the injection of the radiotracer, and cardiac gating.