title: HIV infection and arterial inflammation assessed by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET): a prospective cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HIV-infected patients are at increased risk of myocardial infarction and arterial inflammation has been suggested as a pathophysiological explanation. We compared the uptake of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) by PET in four arterial regions, and factors associated with FDG uptake in well-treated HIV-infected patients without cardiovascular disease (CVD) and healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We prospectively scanned 26 HIV-infected patients on stable antiretroviral therapy and 25 healthy volunteers with FDG PET/CT, measuring standardized uptake values (SUV) in the carotid arteries, the ascending, descending, and abdominal aorta. We performed correlation analyses between FDG uptake and intima-media thickness (IMT), and soluble biomarkers of inflammation. We found no difference in arterial FDG uptake between the HIV-infected patients and healthy controls quantified either as mean SUVmax or target-to background ratio in the carotid region, the ascending aorta, the descending aorta, or the abdominal aorta. Correlations between SUV, IMT, and soluble biomarkers were scarce in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a group of optimally treated HIV-infected patients with full viral suppression, low Framingham risk score and no known CVD, we found no evidence of increased arterial inflammation as assessed by FDG PET/CT compared to healthy volunteers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Kettegaard Allé 30, 2650, Hvidovre, Denmark, andreas.knudsen@hvh.regionh.dk.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.forename: Anne Mette Fisker
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hag
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loft
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: von Benzon
authors.forename: Sune H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Holger Jon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Møller
authors.forename: Anne-Mette
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lebech
authors.forename: Rasmus Sejersten
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Ripa
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kjær
mesh_terms: D001167:Arteritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18