Key result
FDG-PET quantifies multi-vessel arterial inflammation to assess cardiovascular risk.
Why the study?
Inflammation drives atherosclerotic plaque rupture, yet conventional imaging techniques only assess the site and severity of luminal stenosis without addressing plaque inflammatory status.
Positron emission tomography using fluorodeoxyglucose allows non-invasive quantification of arterial inflammation across multiple vessels, serving as an emerging biomarker of cardiovascular risk beyond conventional luminal stenosis imaging.
FDG-PET may refine inflammation-based risk assessment; leaves open routine clinical adoption pending prospective validation.
Inflammation is a determinant of atherosclerotic plaque rupture, the event leading to most myocardial infarctions and strokes. Although conventional imaging techniques identify the site and severity of luminal stenosis, the inflammatory status of the plaque is not addressed. Positron emission tomography imaging of atherosclerosis using the metabolic marker fluorodeoxyglucose allows quantification of arterial inflammation across multiple vessels. This review sets out the background and current and potential future applications of this emerging biomarker of cardiovascular risk, along with its limitations.
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Rudd et al. (2010) conducted a review in Atherosclerotic plaque inflammation. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) vs. Conventional imaging techniques was evaluated on Quantification of arterial inflammation across multiple vessels. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography quantifies arterial inflammation across multiple vessels as an emerging biomarker of cardiovascular risk.
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