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Non-FDG imaging of atherosclerosis: Will imaging of MMPs assess plaque vulnerability?

  • From Bench to Imaging
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Journal of Nuclear Cardiology Aims and scope

Abstract

Acute ruptures of atherosclerotic plaques with subsequent occlusion account for the vast majority of clinical events such as myocardial infarction or stroke. New imaging approaches focusing on the visualization of inflammation in the vessel wall could emerge as tools for individualized risk assessment and prevention of events. To this end, PET employing 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has recently been introduced for the first clinical trials. Although this approach nicely visualizes plaques inflammation questions remain with respect to if and how this inflammatory signal can be employed for predicting individual plaque rupture. Molecular imaging of proteases such as matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) involved in several steps in plaque progression driving plaques into vulnerable, rupture-prone states seems a promising alternative approach. This review introduces and discusses the vulnerable plaque concept, animal models with human-like plaque ruptures and the potential of a FDG versus a non-FDG MMP-targeted strategy to image rupture-prone plaques.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Collaborative Research Center SFB 656 “Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging“, projects A2, C6 and Z2, Münster, Germany and a research grant from Siemens Medical Solution, Erlangen, Germany. The authors are thankful to Nina Gerigk for her excellent graphical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Institute for Molecular Imaging—EIMI, Mendelstr. 11, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Sven Hermann MD, Andrea Starsichova MSc, Bianca Waschkau MSc, Michael Kuhlmann PhD & Michael Schäfers MD

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany

    Christian Wenning MD, Otmar Schober MD, PhD, FESC & Michael Schäfers MD

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  1. Sven Hermann MD
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  2. Andrea Starsichova MSc
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  3. Bianca Waschkau MSc
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  4. Michael Kuhlmann PhD
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  5. Christian Wenning MD
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  6. Otmar Schober MD, PhD, FESC
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  7. Michael Schäfers MD
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Correspondence to Sven Hermann MD.

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Hermann, S., Starsichova, A., Waschkau, B. et al. Non-FDG imaging of atherosclerosis: Will imaging of MMPs assess plaque vulnerability?. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 19, 609–617 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-012-9553-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-012-9553-6

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