Contribution of 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT to the study of the carotid atheroma calcification

Aim: To assess the calcification process of the carotid plaque by F-18-sodium fluoride PET/CT imaging. Material and methods: A prospectively designed study including 15 patients in whom an atheroma plaque was detected by contrast enhanced CT scan during a neurological work-up was performed. A total of 29 plaques, 19 asymptomatic and 10 symptomatic, were studied. An F-18-sodium fluoride PET/CT scan was acquired 180 min after the i.v. injection of 370 MBq of F-18-sodium fluoride in all the patients. The images obtained were analyzed visually according to the intensity of the uptake. Results: All the plaques showed F-18-sodium fluoride uptake, regardless of the intensity. However, the plaques of the symptomatic group showed a level of 2 or greater intensity while the intensity in 6 of the 19 in the asymptomatic group was lower than 2. Conclusions: Although the study is limited by the small number of cases, the results show the feasibility of the technique to study the calcification of the atheroma using F-18-sodium fluoride and suggest an association between symptomatology and higher uptake of F-18-sodium fluoride. Thus, these results encourage us to continue this study, with the inclusion of a larger number of patients. (C) 2012 Elsevier Espana, S.L. and SEMNIM. All rights reserved.