Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2018 Aug;56(2):172-179.
doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2018.03.028. Epub 2018 May 2.

18F-FDG Uptake on PET/CT in Symptomatic versus Asymptomatic Carotid Disease: a Meta-Analysis

Mohammed M Chowdhury  1 , Jason M Tarkin  2 , Nicholas R Evans  3 , Elizabeth Le  2 , Elizabeth A Warburton  3 , Paul D Hayes  4 , James H F Rudd  2 , Patrick A Coughlin  4
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

18F-FDG Uptake on PET/CT in Symptomatic versus Asymptomatic Carotid Disease: a Meta-Analysis

Mohammed M Chowdhury et al. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2018 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: The role of positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in the determination of inflammation in arterial disease is not well defined. This can provide information about arterial wall inflammation in atherosclerotic disease, and may give insight into plaque stability. The aim of this review was to perform a meta-analysis of PET/CT with 18F-FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) uptake in symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery disease.

Methods: This was a systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, which interrogated the MEDLINE database from January 2001 to May 2017. The search combined the terms, "inflammation", "FDG", and "stroke". The search criteria included all types of studies, with a primary outcome of the degree of arterial vascular inflammation determined by 18F-FDG uptake. Analysis involved an inverse weighted variance estimate of pooled data, using a random effects model.

Results: A total of 14 articles (539 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. Comparing carotid artery 18F-FDG uptake in symptomatic versus asymptomatic disease yielded a standard mean difference of 0.94 (95% CI 0.58-1.130; p < .0001; I2 = 65%).

Conclusions: PET/CT using 18F-FDG can demonstrate carotid plaque inflammation, and is a marker of symptomatic disease. Further studies are required to understand the clinical implication of PET/CT as a risk prediction tool.

Keywords: Inflammation; Microcalcification; Peripheral arterial disease; Positron emission tomography.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of systematic review synthesis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot for analysis of 18F-FDG uptake in symptomatic versus asymptomatic carotid disease (p < .00001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bonow R.O., Smaha L.A., Smith S.C., Jr., Mensah G.A., Lefant C. World Heart Day 2002: the international burden of cardiovascular disease: responding to the emerging global epidemic. Circulation. 2002;106:1602–1605. - PubMed
    1. Meschia J.F., Hopkins L.N., Altafullah I., Wechsler L.R., Stotts G., Gonzales N.R. Time from symptoms to carotid endarterectomy or stenting and perioperative risk. Stroke. 2015;46:3540–3542. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Naylor A.R., Ricco J.B., de Borst G.J., Debus S., de Haro J., Halliday A. Editor's choice – management of atherosclerotic carotid and vertebral artery disease: 2017 clinical practice guidelines of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2018;55:3–81. - PubMed
    1. Naylor A.R. Identifying the high-risk carotid plaque. J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino) 2014;55:11–20. - PubMed
    1. Nagel T., Resnick N., Dewey C.F., Gimbrone M.A., Jr. Vascular endothelial cells respond to spatial gradients in fluid shear stress by enhanced activation of transcription factors. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1999;19:1825–1834. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances