REVIEWS  IMAGING OF INFLAMMATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE 

The Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2016 September;60(3):194-204

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

New molecular probes of vascular inflammation

Alexis VRACHIMIS ^{1, 2}, Lisa HONOLD ³, Andreas FAUST ^{3, 4}, Sven HERMANN ^{3, 4}, Michael SCHÄFERS ^1-4 ✉

¹ Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany; ² DFG CRC 656 “Molecular Cardiovascular Imaging”, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Münster, Germany; ³ European Institute of Molecular Imaging, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Münster, Germany; ⁴ DFG EXC 1003 “Cells in Motion” Cluster of Excellence, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Münster, Germany

New molecular imaging approaches featuring the assessment of inflammatory processes in the vascular wall on top of existing anatomic and functional vessel imaging procedures could emerge as decisive tools for the understanding and prevention of cardiovascular events. In this respect imaging approaches addressing specific molecular and cellular targets in atherosclerosis are of high interest. This review summarizes the rationale and current status of nuclear imaging probes which possess high translational potential.