Vascular Inflammation Evaluated by [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Is Associated With the Metabolic Syndrome

doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2006.11.046

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Volume 49, Issue 14, 10 April 2007, Pages 1533-1539

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Objectives

We investigated factors for carotid artery inflammation by [¹⁸F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET).

Background

Inflammation is present in some atherosclerotic plaques. The FDG-PET is capable of identifying and quantifying vascular inflammation within atherosclerotic plaques.

Methods

The FDG-PET imaging was performed in 216 consecutive patients (63 ± 9 years, men:women 147:69) for cancer screening. Vascular inflammation in carotid atherosclerosis was quantified by measuring the standardized uptake value (SUV) of FDG into the artery.

Results

Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed significant relationships between SUV and waist circumference (p < 0.001), hypertensive medication (p < 0.001), carotid intima-media thickness (p < 0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.01, inversely), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (p < 0.05), or high sensitivity C-reactive protein (p < 0.05). Age- and gender-adjusted SUV of FDG was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in proportion to the accumulation of the number of the components of the metabolic syndrome. Thus, the metabolic syndrome was associated with increased FDG uptake in carotid atherosclerosis.

Conclusions

Our present study may suggest that the metabolic syndrome is associated with inflammation in carotid atherosclerosis. (Detection of Plaque Inflammation by Positron Emission Tomography (PET); http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00114504; NCT00114504)

Abbreviations and Acronyms

BMI

body mass index

blood pressure

CAD

coronary artery disease

computed tomography

CVD

cerebrovascular disease

FDG

[¹⁸F]-fluorodeoxyglucose

FPG

fasting plasma glucose

HDL

high-density lipoprotein

HOMA-IR

homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance

hsCRP

high sensitivity C-reactive protein

IMT

intima-media thickness

IRI

immunoreactive insulin

LDL

low-density lipoprotein

PET

positron emission tomography

SUV

standardized uptake value

Cited by (0)

: This study was supported, in part, by a research grant from the Kimura Memorial Foundation to Dr. Imaizumi; by a grant from the Ishibashi Foundation for the Promotion of Science to Dr. Tahara; by a grant from Fukuda Foundation for Medical Technology to Dr. Tahara; by a grant from Mitsui Life Social Welfare Foundation to Dr. Tahara; and by a grant for the Academic Frontier Project from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, Culture, and Technology, Japan (Cardiovascular Research Institute, Kurume University).