Causal role of non-stenotic hypodense plaques with high FDG uptake detected with PET-CT angiography in patients with unknown cause of stroke?

Conclusions In this exploratory study, we found a high prevalence of non-stenotic hypodense plaques with high FDG uptake (TBR max. > 1.80) in carotid arteries ipsilateral to cerebral ischemia suggesting a causal role for these plaque in patients with unknown cause of stroke. In comparison to high-resolution MRI, the imaging criteria used in this study for the identification of complicated plaques were very simple and easy to implement. In addition, FDG-PET-CTA allows for the evaluation of non-stenotic plaques along the whole length of supra-aortic trunks. Further studies with a larger number of patients are requested to confirm the potential of FDG-PET-CTA for the evaluation of carotid arteries in patients with ischemic stroke of unknown origin.

Source: Journal of Nuclear Medicine - May 23, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Mikail, N., Mazighi, M., Meseguer, E., Guidoux, C., Leseche, G., Rouzet, F., Le Guludec, D., Amarenco, P., Hyafil, F. Tags: MTA II: Cardiovascular Clinical Science Posters Source Type: research