PET/CT evaluation of 18 F-FDG uptake in pericoronary adipose tissue in patients with stable coronary artery disease: Independent predictor of atherosclerotic lesions' formation?

• Published in: Journal of nuclear cardiology Vol. 24; no. 3; p. 1075
• Main Authors: Mazurek, Tomasz, Kobylecka, Małgorzata, Zielenkiewicz, Magdalena, Kurek, Aleksandra, Kochman, Janusz, Filipiak, Krzysztof J, Mazurek, Krzysztof, Huczek, Zenon, Królicki, Leszek, Opolski, Grzegorz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.06.2017
• Subjects: Aged; Biomarkers - metabolism; Coronary Artery Disease - diagnostic imaging; Coronary Artery Disease - metabolism; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 - pharmacokinetics; Humans; Intra-Abdominal Fat - diagnostic imaging; Intra-Abdominal Fat - metabolism; Male; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging - methods; Panniculitis - diagnostic imaging; Panniculitis - metabolism; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography - methods; Prognosis; Reproducibility of Results; Risk Factors; Sensitivity and Specificity; FDG-PET/CT; atherosclerosis; adipose tissue; stable coronary artery disease
• ISSN: 1532-6551

Inflammatory infiltrations in EAT which releases inflammatory cytokines correspond anatomically to the atheromatous plaques in underlying coronary vessels. However, it is unknown whether inflammatory activity of pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) promotes coronary atherosclerosis. 35 non-diabetic patients with confirmed CAD and 35 non-CAD controls matched for age and BMI underwent 18F-FDG-PET/CT. Maximal SUV normalized by LA blood activity was measured on the sections corresponding to the respective coronaries (RCA, LCX, LAD), as well, as in subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, and epicardial fat. Extent of CAD was determined by % stenosis in segments corresponding to 18F-FDG-PET/CT sections in coronarography using quantitative coronary analysis. PCAT SUV was significantly greater than SUV in other fat locations, as well as PCAT SUV in the controls. In CAD patients with BMI >25, PCAT SUV was positively related to % stenosis of a respective coronary artery (RCA: 0.43; P < .05; LCX 0.58; P < .05; LAD 0.65; P < .05). PCAT SUV was the only independent predictor of coronary stenosis of LAD and RCA. Inflammatory activity of PCAT is greater than in other fat locations, in CAD is greater than in non-CAD controls, and is independently associated with coronary stenosis. In overweight patients, PCAT SUV correlates with the extent of CAD.