Table 1.
Included study characteristics.
| Study and design | Population, age, average time from symptoms to scan | Dose FGD injected | Uptake time and protocol | Primary endpoint measure | Findings (FDG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudd et al. 200211 Patient cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG with carotid disease, PET/CT, histology |
n = 8 patients, symptomatic disease (mean age 63.5, 75% male, 3.5 months) |
370 MBq over 60 s | 190 min ± 6 Reconstructed images with 3D re-projection, corrected for attenuation |
FDG accumulation rate, volumes of interest (VOI) | Higher 18F-FDG PET/CT signals in symptomatic versus asymptomatic disease (p = .005) verified histologically (CD68) |
| Davies et al. 200512 Prospective cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG with carotid disease, PET, MRI |
n = 12 patients, culprit carotid disease (mean age 71, 83% male, 64 days) |
185 MBq | 120 min Reconstructed emission images using PROMIS 3D filtered back projection algorithm |
Uptake ratio (FDG in plaque divided by normal arterial wall FDG) | Higher FDG uptake ratios in symptomatic carotid disease |
| Arauz et al. 200713 Prospective cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG with carotid disease, PET/CT |
n = 13 patients, high and low uptake (mean age 66.1, 69% male, 25 days) |
370 MBq | 90 min 6 h fast, image acquisition in 3D mode, attenuated corrected |
Standardised uptake values (SUVs) | Patients with symptomatic carotid disease had higher FDG uptake, as well as with stenosis (p ≤ .001) |
| Kwee et al. 201114 Prospective cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG with carotid disease, PET/CT |
n = 50 patients, symptomatic carotid disease (mean age 67.8, 68% male, 33.3 days) |
200 MBq | 60 min 12 h fast, 3D mode, 120 kVp, 175 mAs, field of view 250 × 250 mm. |
Standardised uptake values (SUVs) | Significant correlation between FDG signal and CT characteristics in symptomatic plaque (p < .05) |
| Grandpierre et al. 201115 Retrospective, cohort study, IV administration of FDG, PET/CT |
n = 23 patient, cancer patients admitted with stroke due to carotid disease (mean age 66, 86% male, 7 months) |
400 MBq | 60 min 6 h fast, 3D mode, 120 kV, 80 mAs, field of view 512 × 512 mm, 3 min per bed position |
Standardised uptake values (SUVs) | Higher FDG uptake in patient who had stroke in the carotid artery was compared to no stroke patients (p = .006) |
| Marnane et al. 201216 Patient cohort study, symptomatic stroke patients, IV administration of 18F-FDG, PET/CT |
n = 60 patients 13 recurrences (mean age 67.3, 85% male, 5 days) 47 no recurrence (mean age 71.6, 68% male, 7 days) |
320 MBq | 120 min 6 h fast, image acquired in 3D mode, 2 bed positions for 10 min |
Standardised uptake values (SUVs) | Higher uptake of 18F-FDG in patients with recurrent strokes (p = .02), mean plaque FDG only predictor of stroke recurrence (HR 6.1, 1.3–28.8, p = .02) |
| Muller et al. 201417 Patient cohort study, symptomatic stroke patients, IV administration of 18F-FDG, PET/CT |
n = 123 60 symptomatic 63 asymptomatic (mean age 72, 76% male) |
370 MBq | 90 min 6 h fast, 3D mode, matric 336 × 336 pixels, attenuated corrected |
Target to background ratios (TBRs) | Significantly higher FDG uptake in symptomatic high risk carotid plaques (p < .0018) |
| Taqueti et al. 201418 Patient cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG, PET/CT, DCE-MRI |
n = 32 patients symptomatic disease (mean age 68, 50% male) |
370 MBq | 90 min 3D list mode, in 1 bed position over 20 min Radiation exposure 8 mSv |
Target to background ratios (TBRs) | 18F-FDG signals correlate highly with markers of macrophage density, in symptomatic plaque (p < .001) |
| Shaikh et al. 201419 Patient cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG, cf. femoral plaque |
n = 35 patients 29 symptomatic carotid and 5 asymptomatic (mean age 67, 76% male) |
185 MBq | 60 min 6 h fast, 3D mode, 120 kV attenuation correc. Radiation 27.4 mSv |
Regions of interest (ROI) and hot average | Significantly higher hot average in symptomatic vs. asymptomatic carotid plaques (p = .053) |
| Skagen et al. 201520 Prospective patient cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG, PET/CT |
n = 36 patients 18 symptomatic, 18 asymptomatic (mean age 67, 72% male) |
370 MBq | 90 min 6 h fast, 2D OSEM algorithm, with matrix 256 × 256 pixels |
Standardised uptake values (SUVs) | Significantly higher hot average in symptomatic versus asymptomatic carotid plaques (p = .003) |
| Quirce et al. 201621 Prospective patient cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG and 18F—NaF, PET/CT |
n = 18 patients 9 symptomatic, 9 asymptomatic (mean age 67, 88% male) |
450 MBq | 180 min 6 h fast, 5 min per bed space, 130 kV, 50 mAs 11.3 mSv radiation dose |
Standardised uptake values (SUVs) | No significant difference in FDG uptake in symptomatic versus asymptomatic plaque (p = .85) |
| Vesey et al. 201722 Prospective case control study, IV administration of 18F-FDG and NaF, high risk plaque |
n = 26 patients 18 carotid group (mean age 71.7, 66.7% male) 8 control group (mean age 66.1, 50% male) |
200 MBq | 90 min 6 h fast, 3D mode, 120 kV, 2 bed positions for 20 min per bed. |
Target to background ratios (TBRs) | 18F-FDG higher uptake in culprit vessel vs. control (p = .014), log10 transformed data |
| Tarkin et al. 201723 Prospective cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG, PET/CT, 68Ga-DOTATATE |
n = 28 patients 14 in carotid group (mean age 71, 75% male, 18 days) 14 in control (mean age 72.3, 76% male) |
248.1 ± 22.3 MBq | 90 min 6 h fast, 4 bed positions for 15 min, radiation 30 mSv, VUE FX recons |
Target to background ratios (TBRs) | Significant uptake of FDG in symptomatic plaques versus control (p < .001) |
| Joshi et al. 201724 Prospective cohort study, IV administration of 18F-FDG, PET/CT, FMISO tracer |
n = 16 patients 8 patients in carotid group (mean age 73, 70% male, 16 days) 8 patients control (mean age 71, 50% male) |
250 MBq | 120 min 6 h fast, one bed position for 15 min, 3D mode, VUE FX recons, radiation 10.4 mSv |
Target to background ratios (TBRs) | Higher uptake of FDG in culprit lesions (TBR 1.94 versus 1.90), despite p > .05 trend toward significance |