title: F-18 Fluoride Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography for Detecting Atherosclerotic Plaques.
abstract: A large number of major cardiovascular events occur in patients due to minimal or some lumen narrowing of the coronary artery. Recent biological studies have shown that the biological composition or vulnerability of the plaque is more critical for plaque rupture compared to the degree of stenosis. To overcome the limitations of anatomical images, molecular imaging techniques have been suggested as promising imaging tools in various fields. F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), which is widely used in the field of oncology, is an example of molecular probes used in atherosclerotic plaque evaluation. FDG is a marker of plaque macrophage glucose utilization and inflammation, which is a prominent characteristic of vulnerable plaque. Recently, F-18 fluoride has been used to visualize vulnerable plaque in clinical studies. F-18 fluoride accumulates in regions of active microcalcification, which is normally observed during the early stages of plaque formation. More studies are warranted on the accumulation of F-18 fluoride and plaque formation/vulnerability; however, due to high specific accumulation, low background activity, and easy accessibility, F-18 fluoride is emerging as a promising non-invasive imaging probe to detect vulnerable plaque.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Fluoride; PET; Vulnerable plaque