[¹⁸F]-Sodium fluoride uptake in Takayasu arteritis

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Radiochemistry
• Cardiovascular imaging

Background:

• ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and ¹⁸F-sodium fluoride (NaF) PET are used for inflammation and calcification.
• Their utility in Takayasu arteritis (TA) assessment remains unstudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the uptake patterns and correlations of ¹⁸F-FDG and ¹⁸F-NaF PET in patients with suspected active metabolic disease.
• To investigate the diagnostic potential of these tracers in Takayasu arteritis.

Main Methods:

• Five patients with suspected active metabolic disease underwent PET scans using both ¹⁸F-FDG and ¹⁸F-NaF.
• Metabolic active disease diagnosis was confirmed by ¹⁸F-FDG uptake.

Main Results:

• A negative correlation (r = -0.78, P = .001) between ¹⁸F-NaF and ¹⁸F-FDG uptake was observed in areas with atherosclerotic plaques.
• A positive correlation (r = 0.94, P = .019) was found between ¹⁸F-NaF and ¹⁸F-FDG uptake in areas of solely metabolic active disease.

Conclusions:

• ¹⁸F-NaF uptake in Takayasu arteritis can reflect various stages of metabolic disease.
• This uptake may be detectable even when active metabolic disease or symptoms are absent.