title: Determinants of extraaortic arterial 18F-FDG accumulation in asymptomatic cohorts: sex differences in the association with cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery stenosis.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate extraaortic arterial (18)F-FDG accumulation in asymptomatic cohorts by sex and to clarify the association between extraaortic arterial (18)F-FDG accumulation and cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) and coronary artery stenosis (CAS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred twenty-one asymptomatic individuals (351 men and 170 women) who underwent cancer and CAS screening were enrolled. We evaluated extraaortic arterial (18)F-FDG accumulation in the carotid artery (CA) and iliofemoral artery (IFA) and classified the accumulation patterns into 3 types. Type 1 patients had no extraaortic arterial (18)F-FDG accumulation, type 2 had accumulation in either the CA or the IFA, and type 3 had accumulation in both the CA and IFA. CRFs (age, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] and high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, triglyceride concentration, visceral abdominal fat, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking) and significant CAS were examined in relation to each accumulation type.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The men showed more extensive extraaortic arterial (18)F-FDG accumulation than the women. Type 3 accumulation (60.4% vs. 37.1%, P < 0.0001) was more frequently observed in men, whereas type 2 (34.2% vs. 44.7%, P = 0.02) and type 1 (5.4% vs. 18.2%, P < 0.0001) accumulation were more frequent in women. The CRFs other than smoking tended to be worse with extensive extraaortic arterial (18)F-FDG accumulation. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension, age, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, and visceral abdominal fat were significantly associated with type 3 accumulation in men, and LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol (inversely) were significantly associated with type 3 accumulation in women. CAS was found in 4.2% (9/212) of male patients and in 1.6% (1/63) of female patients with type 3 accumulation, whereas no CAS was found in the other 2 types.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The men showed more extensive extraaortic arterial (18)F-FDG accumulation than the women. LDL cholesterol was associated with extensive extraaortic arterial (18)F-FDG accumulation in both sexes, but the other CRFs associated with extensive extraaortic (18)F-FDG arterial accumulation differed between the sexes. The type 3 accumulation was considered to pose a risk of CAS, especially in male patients, whereas non-type 3 accumulation presented little risk.
authors.affiliation: PET Imaging Center, Koga Hospital 21, Kurume, Japan. kkaneko-kyu@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masunari
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Omagari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001158:Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D001692:Biological Transport; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18