FDG PET/CT Imaging of Carotid Atherosclerosis

Abdelrahman Ali; Ahmed Tawakol

doi:10.1016/j.nic.2015.09.004

FDG PET/CT Imaging of Carotid Atherosclerosis

Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 2016 Feb;26(1):45-54. doi: 10.1016/j.nic.2015.09.004.

Authors

Abdelrahman Ali¹, Ahmed Tawakol²

Affiliations

¹ Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
² Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: atawakol@partners.org.

PMID: 26610659
DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2015.09.004

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a complex inflammatory process and an integral component of myocardial infarction and stroke. Atherosclerotic plaques can be detected using ultrasonography, myocardial perfusion imaging, coronary angiography, multidetector computed tomography (CT), and MR imaging. These modalities assess the luminal encroachment of the plaques or the structural features. Imaging plaque biology in concert with plaque structure may provide important insights. PET scanning using (18)F fluorodeoxyglucose. ((18)F FDG-PET) is commonly combined with CT scanning to characterize oncological processes. This review examines the role of (18)F FDG-PET/CT imaging in the characterization of atherosclerotic plaque biology.

Keywords: Arterial inflammation; Atherosclerosis; CVD; FDG-PET; Stroke.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Algorithms
Animals
Carotid Stenosis / diagnosis*
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
Humans
Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
Multimodal Imaging / methods*
Positron-Emission Tomography / methods*
Radiopharmaceuticals
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods*

Substances

Radiopharmaceuticals
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18