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Simultaneous determination of dynamic cardiac metabolism and function using PET/MRI

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology Aims and scope

Abstract

Background

Cardiac metabolic changes in heart disease precede overt contractile dysfunction. However, metabolism and function are not typically assessed together in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to develop a cardiac positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) stress test to assess the dynamic relationship between contractile function and metabolism in a preclinical model.

Methods

Following an overnight fast, healthy pigs (45-50 kg) were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) solution was administered intravenously at a constant rate of 0.01 mL/s for 60 minutes. A cardiac PET/MR stress test was performed using normoxic gas (FIO2 = .209) and hypoxic gas (FIO2 = .12). Simultaneous cardiac imaging was performed on an integrated 3T PET/MR scanner.

Results

Hypoxic stress induced a significant increase in heart rate, cardiac output, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), and peak torsion. There was a significant decline in arterial SpO2, LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes in hypoxia. Increased LV systolic function was coupled with an increase in myocardial FDG uptake (Ki) during hypoxic stress.

Conclusion

PET/MR with continuous FDG infusion captures dynamic changes in both cardiac metabolism and contractile function. This technique warrants evaluation in human cardiac disease for assessment of subtle functional and metabolic abnormalities.

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Abbreviations

LV:

Left ventricle

RV:

Right ventricle

EF:

Ejection fraction

EDV:

End-diastolic volume

ESV:

End-systolic volume

18F-FDG:

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose

TAC:

Time-activity curve

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dan Consigny, Sara John, Jenelle Fuller, and Kent MacLaughlin for their contributions to this study.

Disclosure

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 600 Highland Ave. H6/551 CSC, Madison, WI, 53792, USA

    Gregory P. Barton PhD, Lauren Vildberg, Kara Goss MD & Marlowe Eldridge MD

  2. Division of Cardiovascular Disease Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

    Niti Aggarwal MD

  3. Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

    Kara Goss MD

  4. Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

    Niti Aggarwal MD & Alan B. McMillan PhD

  5. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

    Marlowe Eldridge MD

  6. Rankin Laboratory of Pulmonary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

    Gregory P. Barton PhD, Lauren Vildberg, Kara Goss MD & Marlowe Eldridge MD

Authors
  1. Gregory P. Barton PhD
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  2. Lauren Vildberg
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Correspondence to Gregory P. Barton PhD.

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Funding

Research support was provided in part by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Department Research and Development Funds from the Departments of Pediatrics (Eldridge), Medicine (Goss) and Radiology (McMillan), as well as additional funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (Eldridge). Kara Goss and portions of the project are supported by the University of Wisconsin Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, through the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Grant NIH UL1TR000427 (PI Dresher; 4KL2TR000428-10).

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Barton, G.P., Vildberg, L., Goss, K. et al. Simultaneous determination of dynamic cardiac metabolism and function using PET/MRI. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 26, 1946–1957 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-018-1287-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-018-1287-7

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