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PET Assessment of Immune Cell Activity and Therapeutic Monitoring Following Myocardial Infarction

  • Nuclear Cardiology (V Dilsizian, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Local inflammation after myocardial infarction (MI) plays a role in subsequent ventricular remodeling, influences cardiac outcome, and has emerged as a therapeutic target. Preclinical and clinical PET imaging studies have employed a variety of radiotracers to target inflammatory leukocytes in the early stages after MI.

Recent Findings

Imaging of enhanced metabolism in activated macrophages with 18F-FDG is feasible and has been associated with cardiac outcome in a small prospective study. Novel targeted PET agents show higher specificity for inflammatory leukocytes and can identify therapeutic response with limited background.

Summary

While PET imaging of acute inflammation after MI has grown in recent years, significant challenges remain to widespread clinical application, including the complex cellular composition of the imaging signal and unclear association with functional outcome. Future studies must address the prognostic value of post-MI inflammation imaging and the ability to discern response to targeted, expensive, and personalized therapies.

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  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany

    James T. Thackeray

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Thackeray, J.T. PET Assessment of Immune Cell Activity and Therapeutic Monitoring Following Myocardial Infarction. Curr Cardiol Rep 20, 13 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-018-0955-1

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