Riassunto analitico
Background:
Formation and progression of atherosclerotic plaque is a dynamic and complex process involving various pathophysiologic steps including inflammation and calcification.
Rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque is the principal precipitant of acute coronary syndromes. Early identification of unstable atherosclerotic lesions by non-invasive techniques may lead to timely therapeutic interventions with the goal of reducing adverse events.
Aim of the study:
We aimed to analyze the association between inflammation and osteogenesis at different stages of atherosclerosis, as well as the interrelationship between these two processes during disease progression in a cohort of HIV-infected patients
Material & Methods:
Eighty-two patients underwent two coronary CT al least 2 years a part for evaluation of atherosclerosis progression/non progression were enrolled.
50 patients were examined by whole-body 18F-sodium fluoride PET, and 32 with 18F-FDG PET.
Tracer uptake in various arterial segments was analyzed both qualitatively and semiquantitatively by measuring the blood-pool–corrected standardized uptake value (target-to-background ratio [TBR]) using 1.6 cut off value for both 18F-sodium fluoride PET, and 32 with 18F-FDG PET.
Results:
FDG uptake was observed 10 times (31.25%) in CAC non progressor patients and 22 times (68.75%) in CAC progressor patients whereas NaF was observed 47 times (31.54%) in CAC non progressor patients and 102 times (68.46%) in CAC progressor patients.
FDG uptake was observed 17 times (53.12%) by areas without calcification and 15 times (46.88%) by calcified areas whereas NaF uptake 92 times (61.74%) from areas without calcification and only 57 times (38.26%) from areas with CAC > 0.
Colocalization of radiotracer accumulation (either FDG or NaF) and CT calcification was only in 72 of 319 (22.57%) of CT-positive lesions whereas 247 calcified sites do not absorb neither FDG nor NaF.
Conclusions:
This study did not find a statistically significant correlation between 18F-FDG or 18F-NaF TBR and the CAC progression in HIV-infected patients but PET may play a role in the interpretation of specifical pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in both HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected subjects.
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