title: Imaging Atherosclerosis in the Carotid Arteries with F-18-Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose Positron Emission Tomography: Effect of Imaging Time after Injection on Quantitative Measurement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare F-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (F-18 FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging at two different circulation times after injection of F-18 FDG in order to measure atherosclerosis in carotid arteries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed 12 patients with recent symptomatic plaques in the carotid arteries. F-18 FDG PET/CT carotid plaque imaging was performed for 20 min at 2 h after F-18 FDG injection in five patients and at 3 h in seven patients. We measured vessel wall uptake using the maximal standardized uptake value (SUV), and the mean and maximal blood target-to-background ratios (TBR) of the symptomatic carotid arteries. Blood pool activity (BPA) was measured as the mean SUV of the superior vena cava (SVC) and jugular vein of these 12 patients, and in 14 age- and gender-matched patients who underwent whole-body F-18 FDG PET/CT examinations 1 h after injection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  F-18 FDG PET/CT revealed visible F-18 FDG uptake in all patients with symptomatic carotid plaques. Maximal SUV did not differ between groups evaluated at 2 h and 3 h (2.62 ± 0.45 vs 3.00 ± 0.85, p = 0.335). However, mean (2.04 ± 0.22 vs 3.54 ± 0.62, p < 0.05) and maximal (1.65 ± 0.15 vs 2.70 ± 0.42, p < 0.05) TBR values that were normalized to BPA in the SVC differ significantly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Symptomatic carotid plaques are visualized for a relatively short period of imaging time on ≥1-h PET/CT images. Quantitative parameters of atherosclerotic carotid arteries are preserved or even increased over time, whereas those of blood pools are decreased.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 86, Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736 Korea.
authors.forename: Minyoung
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 86, Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736 Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 86, Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736 Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang-Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 86, Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736 Korea.
authors.forename: Seol Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 86, Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736 Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Sook
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 86, Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736 Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Seung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Wha
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 86, Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736 Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Hyuk
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Moon
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Carotid arteries; F-18 FDG PET/CT; Imaging time