title: Neovascularization in the carotid atherosclerotic plaque is not associated with inflammatory cell aggregation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Monocytes and macrophages in atherosclerotic plaque lead to plaque instability. The aim of the study was to determine if plaque neovascularization led to inflammation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were consecutively enrolled if their carotid intimal media thickness was > 2 mm, as revealed by duplex ultrasound. The patients then underwent dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE MRI) and fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET CT). A target to background ratio (TBR) of ≥ 1.25 or < 1.25 served as the cutoff point for the presence and absence of inflammation, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-six patients underwent bilateral carotid DCE MRI and 24 patients also underwent PET CT. One hundred and fifty-five plaques were evaluated by both DCE MRI and PET CT. There was no significant difference in plaque morphology between the TBR ≥ 1.25 (n = 61) and TBR < 1.25 (n = 94) groups. No significant differences were found in plasma volume and transfer constant between the TBR ≥ 1.25 and TBR < 1.25 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study did not find a significant correlation between plaque neovascularization and the aggregation of inflammatory cells.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Jing-jing
authors: JJ
authors: Gai
authors: Hong-bin
authors: HB
authors: Liu
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: Lei-xing
authors: LX
authors: Xie
authors: Xi-hai
authors: XH
authors: Zhao
authors: Liu-quan
authors: LQ
authors: Cheng
authors: Hui-jun
authors: HJ
authors: Chen
authors: Yong
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Da-yi
authors: DY
authors: Yin
authors: Jia-jin
authors: JJ
authors: Liu
authors: Xiong-wei
authors: XW
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D002449:Cell Aggregation; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000473:pathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18