Abstract
Atherosclerotic burden has become the focus of cardiovascular risk assessment. PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging with the tracers 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and 18F-sodium fluoride shows arterial wall inflammation and microcalcification, respectively. Arterial uptake of both tracers is modestly age dependent. 18F-sodium fluoride uptake is consistently associated with risk factors and more easily measured in the heart. Because of extremely high sensitivity, ultrashort acquisition, and minimal radiation to the patient, total-body PET/CT provides unique opportunities for atherosclerosis imaging: disease screening and delayed and repeat imaging with global disease scoring and parametric imaging to better characterize the atherosclerosis of individual patients.
Original language | English |
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Journal | P E T Clinics |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 1 |
Pages (from-to) | 119-128 |
ISSN | 1556-8598 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2021 |
Keywords
- Atherosclerosis
- Calcification
- FDG
- Inflammation
- NaF
- PET/CT
- Total body