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
Review
. 2021 Jun;178(11):2186-2203.
doi: 10.1111/bph.14868. Epub 2019 Nov 14.

Atherosclerosis imaging using PET: Insights and applications

Rouchelle S Sriranjan  1 , Jason M Tarkin  1 , Nicholas R Evans  1 , Elizabeth P V Le  1 , Mohammed M Chowdhury  1 , James H F Rudd  1
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Atherosclerosis imaging using PET: Insights and applications

Rouchelle S Sriranjan et al. Br J Pharmacol. 2021 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Aikawa, M., & Libby, P. (2004). The vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque: Pathogenesis and therapeutic approach. Cardiovascular Pathology, 13, 125-138.
    1. Alexander, S. P., Kelly, E., Marrion, N. V., Peters, J. A., Faccenda, E., Harding, S. D., … Buneman, O. P. (2017). The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2017/18: Overview. British Journal of Pharmacology, 174, S1-S16.
    1. Ambrose, J. A., Tannenbaum, M. A., Alexopoulos, D., Hjemdahl-Monsen, C. E., Leavy, J., Weiss, M., … Fuster, V. (1988). Angiographic progression of coronary artery disease and the development of myocardial infarction. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 12, 56-62.
    1. Armani, C., Catalani, E., Balbarini, A., Bagnoli, P., & Cervia, D. (2007). Expression, pharmacology, and functional role of somatostatin receptor subtypes 1 and 2 in human macrophages. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 81, 845-855.
    1. Beer, A. J., Haubner, R., Sarbia, M., Goebel, M., Luderschmidt, S., Grosu, A. L., … Wester, H.-J. (2006). Positron emission tomography using [18F]Galacto-RGD identifies the level of integrin αvβ3 expression in man. Clinical Cancer Research, 12, 3942-3949.

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources