Novel Applications of Radionuclide Imaging in Peripheral Vascular Disease

Cardiol Clin. 2016 Feb;34(1):167-77. doi: 10.1016/j.ccl.2015.06.005. Epub 2015 Oct 17.

Abstract

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a progressive atherosclerotic disease that leads to stenosis or occlusion of blood vessels supplying the lower extremities. Current diagnostic imaging techniques commonly focus on evaluation of anatomy or blood flow at the macrovascular level and do not permit assessment of the underlying pathophysiology associated with disease progression or treatment response. Molecular imaging with radionuclide-based approaches can offer novel insight into PVD by providing noninvasive assessment of biological processes such as angiogenesis and atherosclerosis. This article discusses emerging radionuclide-based imaging approaches that have potential clinical applications in the evaluation of PVD progression and treatment.

Keywords: Angiogenesis; Atherosclerosis; Molecular imaging; PET; Perfusion; Peripheral vascular disease; SPECT.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Multimodal Imaging*
  • Peripheral Vascular Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals*
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals