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18F-FDG uptake velocity but not uptake level is associated with progression of carotid plaque

  • Nuclear Medicine
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Abstract

Objectives

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether baseline 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake is associated with carotid plaque progression.

Methods

A total of 156 subjects with carotid plaque were enrolled and underwent carotid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (at baseline and the 12-month follow-up) and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) (baseline). Carotid plaque progression was evaluated by two indices (the incidence of plaque progression and percentage of plaque increase) with three-dimensional (3D) imaging, while the 18F-FDG uptake was evaluated by the 18F-FDG uptake levels and 18F-FDG uptake velocity. The association between plaque progression and 18F-FDG uptake was investigated by the trend test and multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

Of the 156 subjects, 80 (51.3%) showed carotid plaque progression during the 12-month follow-up. Firstly, no association was found between 18F-FDG uptake levels and plaque progression. Secondly, significant differences in the incidence of plaque progression were observed among the groups with different uptake velocities, showing a significant decreasing trend ranging from high to intermediate to low (p = 0.002, trend test). After adjusting for covariates, an adequate prediction of the 18F-FDG uptake velocity for the incidence of plaque progression was revealed (OR = 0.682, p < 0.05). In addition, no association was found between the 18F-FDG uptake velocity and the percentage of plaque increase in the subjects with plaque progression (p = 0.757, trend test).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest 18F-FDG uptake velocity is independently associated with the incidence of carotid plaque progression. Additionally, the 18F-FDG uptake velocity, as another important parameter of PET-CT, warrants further study in future clinical research.

Key Points

• The18F-FDG uptake levels were not associated with the carotid plaque progression.

• The18F-FDG uptake velocity could predict the incidence of carotid plaque progression.

• The18F-FDG uptake velocity with related factors warrants more attention in future clinical research.

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Abbreviations

FDG:

Fluorodeoxyglucose

ICC:

Intragroup correlation coefficient

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

MRS:

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy

PET-CT:

Positron emission tomography-computed tomography

ROC:

Receiver operating curve

SUV:

Maximum standard uptake value

TBR:

Target-to-background ratio

VIF:

Variance inflation factor

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Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81871343, 81525014), Jiangsu Provincial Key Research and Development Plan (BE2017699, BE2017698, BE2018693), and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20181226, BK20171311).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

    Yuefeng Li, Yuhao Xu, Ningning Zhang & Yan Zhu

  2. Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

    Yuefeng Li, Yi Liang, Ping Yang & Jinchuan Yan

  3. Department of Radiology, Zhongda Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing, China

    Yuefeng Li & Shenghong Ju

  4. Department of Central Laboratory, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

    Xiaolan Zhu

Authors
  1. Yuefeng Li
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  2. Yi Liang
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  3. Ping Yang
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  4. Yuhao Xu
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  5. Ningning Zhang
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  6. Yan Zhu
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  7. Xiaolan Zhu
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  8. Jinchuan Yan
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  9. Shenghong Ju
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jinchuan Yan or Shenghong Ju.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Jinchuan Yan.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

Statistics and biometry

No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper.

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Written informed consent was waived by the institutional review board.

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Institutional review board approval was obtained.

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• retrospective

• observational

• performed at one institution

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Li, Y., Liang, Y., Yang, P. et al. 18F-FDG uptake velocity but not uptake level is associated with progression of carotid plaque. Eur Radiol 30, 2403–2411 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06535-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06535-8

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