Scan could detect those on brink of heart attack

Conclusion This is a valuable study which shows the promise of using PET-CT with radioactively labelled sodium fluoride (NaF) as a way of identifying fatty deposits in the heart arteries that could be at risk of rupturing and causing a heart attack. The results confirmed that the marker used in this study (NaF) was better than the chemical marker normally used in PET-CT scans (FDG). The technique has the principal value of being a non-invasive technique compared with coronary angiography, which is the standard method used to look at blockages in heart arteries. As it does not involve surgical intervention, this could have advantages not only for patients, but also in terms of resources. But so far only a small number of patients with coronary artery disease have been studied at one hospital in Edinburgh. Also, as the researchers say, the chemical was not taken up by all high-risk or ruptured deposits: in three of the people who had a heart attack, the uptake of NaF by the culprit plaques fell below threshold. And in people with stable angina, high-risk deposits with increased NaF uptake were seen in almost half of patients. Ultrasound evaluation of the structure and composition of the arteries with NaF uptake found the characteristic features of high-risk deposits, though it is unknown whether they would have definitely gone on to cause a heart attack. This suggests that the technique could be potentially refined to provide more accurate results. Further studies are awai...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medical practice Source Type: news