Positron emission tomography imaging for vascular inflammation evaluation in elderly subjects with different risk factors for cardiovascular diseases

This study was aimed to investigate the usefulness of F-18-FDG-PET to differentiate vascular inflammation and to determine the effect of rosuvastatin. Eight subjects were recruited and were divided according to their health status in three groups; 3 healthy subjects, 3 patients with hypercholesterolemia and 2 patients with stable angina pectoris. Hypercholesterolemic patients were submitted immediately after their recruitment to rosuvastatin treatment (20 mg/d). Two PET/CT measurements were made throughout the course of the study, one at baseline and the second 12 months later. Our results showed that the ratio of calcified arteries to total analyzed arteries segments were 23%, 36% and 44% for healthy, hypercholesterolemic and stable angina patients respectively. Healthy subjects present, at baseline, a high level of vascular inflammation as measured by F-18-FDG uptake in both calcified and non-calcified segments of the arteries. This vascular inflammation increases as a function of the cardiovascular risk factors. After the 12-month follow-up period, non-calcified arteries showed a significant increase of F-18-FDG uptake in both healthy, hypercholesterolemic and stable angina patients. However, the highest increase was noted for the healthy subjects; (50% increase, p < 0.0001), while hypercholesterolemic patients under rosuvastatin showed only 25% increase of F-18-FDG uptake (p < 0.0001). This study confirms the usefulness of F-18-FDG measurement to localize and quantify arterial inflammation in each artery segments and as a function of the CVD risk factors. Rosuvastatin may have a protective effect against arterial inflammation however; other studies with higher rosuvastatin doses (> 20 mg/d) are needed to confirm this beneficial effect.