Radionuclide imaging: a molecular key to the atherosclerotic plaque

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Serious cardiovascular events remain a leading cause of global mortality despite prevention efforts.
• Identifying patients with vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques is a critical unmet need in cardiovascular medicine.
• Current noninvasive imaging methods primarily focus on plaque morphology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review noninvasive plaque imaging approaches using nuclear imaging techniques.
• To highlight molecular imaging's role in detecting functional aspects of atherosclerotic plaques.
• To provide an update on current research in atherosclerotic vascular lesion detection.

Main Methods:

• Review of in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies utilizing various tracers for plaque imaging.
• Focus on nuclear imaging techniques for visualizing biological activity within plaques.
• Exploration of tracers including radioactive-labeled lipoproteins, coagulation factors, cytokines, and cell adhesion molecules.

Main Results:

• Molecular imaging visualizes the biological activity of atherosclerotic plaques, complementing morphological assessments.
• Various tracers targeting different pathophysiological pathways of atherosclerosis have been investigated.
• Early clinical trials demonstrate the potential of these molecular imaging techniques.

Conclusions:

• Molecular imaging offers a functional assessment of atherosclerotic plaques, aiding in risk stratification.
• Nuclear imaging techniques are advancing the noninvasive detection of vulnerable atherosclerotic lesions.
• Further research and clinical validation are essential for widespread adoption.