title: The ratio of (18)F-FDG activity uptake between the right and left ventricle in patients with pulmonary hypertension correlates with the right ventricular function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is known that patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) can have elevated F-FDG uptake in the right ventricle (RV) on PET imaging. This study was designed to assess possible relationship between FDG uptake of ventricles and the function/hemodynamics of the RV in patients with PH.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight patients with PH underwent FDG PET imaging in both fasting and glucose-loading conditions. The standard uptake value (SUVs) corrected for partial volume effect in both RV and left ventricle (LV) were measured. The ratio of FDG uptake between RV to LV (SUVR/L) was calculated. Right heart catheterization and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) were performed in all patients within 1 week. The FDG uptake levels by the ventricles were compared with the result form the right heart catheterization and CMR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SUV of RV (SUVR) and SUV of LV were significantly higher in glucose-loading condition than in fasting condition. In both fasting and glucose-loading conditions, SUVR and SUVR/L showed reverse correlation with right ventricular ejection fraction derived from CMR. In addition, in both fasting and glucose-loading conditions, SUVR and SUVR/L showed positive correlations with pulmonary vascular resistance. However, only SUVR/L in glucose-loading condition could independently predict right ventricular ejection fraction after adjusted for age, body mass index, sex, mean right atrial pressure, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, and pulmonary vascular resistance (P = 0.048).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The FDG uptake of RV increases with decreased right ventricular function in patients with PH. Increased FDG uptake ratio between RV and LV might be useful to assess the right ventricular function.
authors.affiliation: From the State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chang-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Zhi-Hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xin-Hai
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Zhi-Hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003710:Demography; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose