18F-NaF and 18F-FDG as molecular probes in the evaluation of atherosclerosis

The early detection of atherosclerotic disease is vital to the effective prevention and management of life-threatening cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarctions and cerebrovascular accidents. Given the potential for positron emission tomography (PET) to visualize atherosclerosis earlier in the disease process than anatomic imaging modalities such as computed tomography (CT), this application of PET imaging has been the focus of intense scientific inquiry. Although 18 F-FDG has historically been the most widely studied PET radiotracer in this domain, there is a growing body of evidence that 18 F-NaF holds significant diagnostic and prognostic value as well. In this article, we review the existing literature on the application of 18 F-FDG and 18 F-NaF as PET probes in atherosclerosis and present the findings of original animal and human studies that have examined how well 18 F-NaF uptake correlates with vascular calcification and cardiovascular risk.