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Molecular imaging of plaques in coronary arteries with PET and SPECT

Zhong-Hua Sun1, Hairil Rashmizal2, Lei Xu3

  • 1Discipline of Medical Imaging, Department of Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia.

Journal of Geriatric Cardiology : JGC
|October 4, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Identifying vulnerable plaques in coronary arteries is crucial for assessing cardiovascular risk. Molecular imaging techniques like PET and SPECT offer functional insights into plaque stability, improving patient risk stratification.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Imaging
  • Molecular Imaging
  • Nuclear Medicine

Background:

  • Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality.
  • Atherosclerotic plaques cause lumen stenosis, but vulnerable plaques pose a higher rupture risk.
  • Identifying vulnerable plaques is key for assessing cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the diagnostic applications of molecular imaging in detecting coronary artery plaques.
  • To discuss the role of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) in plaque detection.
  • To explore novel radiopharmaceuticals and integrated imaging modalities (PET/CT, PET/MRI).

Main Methods:

  • Review of diagnostic applications of PET and SPECT in coronary plaque detection.
  • Discussion of new radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging of coronary plaques.
  • Analysis of integrated PET/CT and PET/MRI applications in coronary plaque assessment.

Main Results:

  • Molecular imaging provides functional information on plaque activity and stability.
  • PET and SPECT enable accurate assessment of plaque stability, aiding in cardiovascular risk stratification.
  • Integrated PET/CT and PET/MRI offer advanced diagnostic capabilities for coronary plaques.

Conclusions:

  • Molecular imaging with PET and SPECT is valuable for detecting vulnerable coronary plaques.
  • Novel radiopharmaceuticals and hybrid imaging systems enhance the diagnostic accuracy of coronary plaque evaluation.
  • These advancements assist in identifying high-risk patients and guiding therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:
Atherosclerotic plaqueCoronary artery diseasePositron emission tomographySingle photon emission computed tomographyVulnerability

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