Optical and PET/CT activity-based probes could help in non-invasive imaging of atherosclerotic plaques

Researchers at Stanford University have demonstrated for the first time the use of a dual optical and PET/CT activity-based probe to detect atherosclerotic plaques. The study is published in the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Atherosclerosis is largely an asymptomatic disease where plaques develop over decades and symptoms do not appear until greater than 70 percent of a vessel is occluded. This results in significant risk of severe cardiovascular events such as stroke or myocardial infractions, highlighting the need for early, non-invasive diagnosis of the disease. Read more.