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Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Evaluation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)

https://doi.org/10.1053/ejvs.2002.1646Get rights and content
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Abstract

Background: aneurysmal disease is associated with an inflammatory cell infiltrate and enzymatic degradation of the vessel wall.

Aim of the study: to detect increased metabolic activity in abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) by means of positron emission tomography (PET-imaging).

Study design: twenty-six patients with AAA underwent PET-imaging

Results: in ten patients, PET-imaging revealed increased fluoro-deoxy-glucose (18-FDG) uptake at the level of the aneurysm. Patients with positive PET-imaging had one or more of the following elements in their clinical history: history of recent non-aortic surgery (n = 4), a painful inflammatory aortic aneurysm (n = 2), moderate low back pain (n = 2), rapid (> 2;5 mm in 6 months) expansion (n = 4), discovery by PET-scan of a previously undiagnosed lung cancer (n = 3) or parotid tumour (n = 1). Five patients with a positive PET scan required urgent surgery within two to 30 days. Among the 16 patients with negative PET-imaging of their aneurysm, only one had recent non-aortic surgery, none of them required urgent surgery, only two had a rapidly expanding AAA, and in only one patient, PET-imaging revealed an unknown lung cancer.

Conclusion: these data suggest a possible association between increased 18-FDG uptake and AAA expansion and rupture.

Keywords

Tomography, emission-computed, Aortic aneurysm, abdominal, Metalloendopeptidases.

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Please address all correspondence to: N. Sakalihasan, Tel.: 32/43667163; Fax: 32/43667164; E-mail: [email protected]