In vivo imaging of macrophage activity in the coronary arteries using 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT: correlation with coronary calcium burden and risk factors.
We measured the uptake of the somatostatin receptor ligand (68)Ga-[1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N'',N'''-tetraacetic acid]-D-Phe(1),Tyr(3)-octreotate (DOTATATE) in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in association with calcified plaques (CPs) and cardiovascular risk factors.


METHODS
Seventy consecutive tumor patients were examined by whole-body (68)Ga-DOTATATE contrast-enhanced PET/CT. Blood-pool-corrected standardized uptake value (target-to-background ratio) was measured in the LAD, and CT images were used to detect CP. Cardiovascular risk factors and history of prior cardiovascular events were recorded.


RESULTS
(68)Ga-DOTATATE uptake was detectable in the LAD of all patients. Target-to-background ratio in the LAD correlated significantly with the presence of CP (R = 0.34; P < 0.01), prior vascular events (R = 0.26; P < 0.05), and male sex (R = 0.29; P < 0.05), whereas CP correlated with these parameters but also with age (R = 0.34; P < 0.01) and hypertension (R = 0.25; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
In a series of oncologic patients, those with prior cardiovascular events and calcified atherosclerotic plaques showed significantly increased (68)Ga-DOTATATE uptake in the LAD, suggesting a potential role of this tracer for plaque imaging in the coronary arteries.
Rominger
Axel
A
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Saam
Tobias
T
Vogl
Eva
E
Ubleis
Christopher
C
la Fougère
Christian
C
Förster
Stefan
S
Haug
Alexander
A
Cumming
Paul
P
Reiser
Maximilian F
MF
Nikolaou
Konstantin
K
Bartenstein
Peter
P
Hacker
Marcus
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C513399:gallium Ga 68 dotatate; D002118:Calcium