PET/CT imaging with F-18 sodium fluoride (NaF) is rising as a delicate instrument for detecting early atherosclerosis, in keeping with a presentation on the latest Society of Nuclear Medication and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) annual assembly.
Shiv Patil, a scholar and researcher from the College of Pennsylvania, offered an F-18 NaF-PET/CT research that discovered the method visualized biologically energetic vascular microcalcification in sufferers at early levels of the illness versus wholesome volunteers.
“At present, atherosclerosis is identified at a comparatively late stage in its illness course, usually via medical assessments and structural imaging modalities corresponding to CT,” Patil famous.
Conversely, F-18 NaF is a number one PET radiotracer for quantifying microcalcification primarily based on uptake of the tracer by deposits within the lining of arteries. On this research, Patil and colleagues assessed its utility in sufferers at low to average threat for the illness.
“The novelty of our method on this research is that we’re particularly keen on sufferers at early stage of subclinical heart problems,” Patil mentioned.
The researchers retrospectively recognized 115 sufferers who underwent F-18 NaF-PET/CT in a earlier medical trial. They analyzed photographs from 42 individuals with medical threat elements in comparison with 73 wholesome management individuals. The sufferers ranged in age from 21 to 75 years outdated.
Particularly, the group quantified artery microcalcification primarily based on imply customary uptake values (SUVimply) of F-18 NaF in areas of curiosity within the left frequent carotid arteries (LCC) and proper frequent carotid arteries (RCC). Subsequent, they used a linear regression mannequin to correlate SUVimply with cardiovascular threat elements.
The evaluation recognized direct correlations between F-18 NaF uptake and threat elements corresponding to age, physique mass index, smoking historical past, fibrinogen (an inflammatory marker), and high-density lipoprotein ldl cholesterol. Furthermore, inverse associations have been seen between F-18 NaF uptake and male gender and ranges of C-reactive protein, Patil reported.
In the end, at-risk people confirmed greater F-18 NaF uptake in contrast with wholesome volunteers, and uptake elevated with estimated threat of antagonistic cardiovascular occasions, in keeping with the findings.
“This exhibits us that [F-18 NaF-PET/CT] could doubtlessly assist within the identification of those weak sufferers,” Patil mentioned.
Future research, significantly longitudinal medical trials are warranted on this subject to totally perceive and understand the potential of F-18 NaF-PET/CT in cardiovascular medical decision-making, he concluded.
