title: Noninvasive imaging of arterial inflammation using FDG-PET/CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Noninvasive imaging of atherosclerotic plaques has substantially advanced over the past decade such that currently available imaging techniques allow for characterization of high-risk morphological features of the plaques and quantification of the biological activity within the atherosclerotic milieu. Vascular PET/CT imaging provides insights into the biological activity of atherosclerotic plaques and, in particular, plaque inflammation. Fluoro-deoxyglucose-PET/CT imaging is currently used to improve the understanding of atherosclerotic pathophysiology, facilitate the discovery of new treatments and improve clinical prognostication in humans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several studies have evaluated the feasibility, validity and reproducibility of fluoro-deoxyglucose-PET/CT for imaging of atherosclerotic plaque inflammation. Fluoro-deoxyglucose-PET/CT imaging is demonstrated to have the potential to predict the efficacy of novel antiatherosclerotic therapeutics by using a relatively small sample size and within a relatively short time period in several multicenter trials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The currently feasible assessment of inflammation within the atherosclerotic plaques has been demonstrated to enhance assessment of clinical risk, provide a better understanding of therapeutic efficacy of novel drugs, and it may provide a window into inflammation within the coronary tree. Further technological advances in PET technology have the potential to catalyze further progress in imaging of atherosclerotic plaque biology.
authors.affiliation: aCardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Imaging and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School bDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Emami
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tawakol
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001167:Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D001781:Blood Component Removal; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18