Premium
Atherosclerosis imaging using PET: Insights and applications
Author(s) -
Sriranjan Rouchelle S.,
Tarkin Jason M.,
Evans Nicholas R.,
Le Elizabeth P.V.,
Chowdhury Mohammed M.,
Rudd James H.F.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1111/bph.14868
Subject(s) - positron emission tomography , medicine , pet imaging , molecular imaging , fluorodeoxyglucose , nuclear imaging , surrogate endpoint , radiology , nuclear medicine , in vivo , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
PET imaging is able to harness biological processes to characterise high‐risk features of atherosclerotic plaque prone to rupture. Current radiotracers are able to track inflammation, microcalcification, hypoxia, and neoangiogenesis within vulnerable plaque. 18 F‐fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F‐FDG) is the most commonly used radiotracer in vascular studies and is employed as a surrogate marker of plaque inflammation. Increasingly, 18 F‐FDG and other PET tracers are also being used to provide imaging endpoints in cardiovascular interventional trials. The evolution of novel PET radiotracers, imaging protocols, and hybrid scanners are likely to enable more efficient and accurate characterisation of high‐risk plaque. This review explores the role of PET imaging in atherosclerosis with a focus on PET tracers utilised in clinical research and the applications of PET imaging to cardiovascular drug development.