Scintillation sensing of 18F-FDG for the detection of metabolically active atherosclerotic plaque

Michael Burke, Kendall Dennis, Amir Lerman, Gurpreet Sandhu, Federico Franchi, Mark Benscoter, Martin Rodriguez-Porcel

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Atherosclerosis and its consequences are the main cause of mortality in the United States and the western world. Detection of metabolically active regions of atherosclerotic plaque can provide insights on those plaques that are prone to rupture, leading to a tissue infarction. The metabolic activity of these plaques can be identified using positron emission tomography (PET). However, such detection has been elusive in the coronary arteries due to motion and detection sensitivity. One of the techniques capable of improving precision as an affordable alternative is the use of an optical scintillating fiber for the detection of 18-Fluorine Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), a compound that is accumulated in metabolically active areas of the atherosclerotic plaque. Here we report on a prototype scintillating fiber detection system designed to characterize the beta emission, particularly positron emission, by 18F-FDG. We demonstrate the ability to effectively measure the presence of 18F-FDG contained in-vivo along with the ability discriminate against ambient light based on energy. This paper presents a catheter-based hardware and software platform based on the use of a scintillating fiber optic catheter. The system measures a short (2-3 ns) burst of photons that are generated by the stimulation of the plastic scintillating fiber by a positron (633 kEv) emitted by the radioactive compound. It can be used to determine the presence of 18F-FDG in-vivo and accurately detect the active decay as the 18F-FDG retained in the metabolically active plaque. The proposed instrument was tested in-vitro and its sensitivity was also measured in-vivo. The developed system may be used in the detection of 18F-FDG, as surrogate of inflammation, providing critical in-vivo information of the metabolism in areas of inflammation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2017 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications, MeMeA 2017 - Proceedings
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages67-71
Number of pages5
ISBN (Electronic)9781509029839
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 19 2017
Event12th IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications, MeMeA 2017 - Rochester, United States
Duration: May 7 2017May 10 2017

Publication series

Name2017 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications, MeMeA 2017 - Proceedings

Other

Other12th IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications, MeMeA 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityRochester
Period5/7/175/10/17

Keywords

  • atherosclerosis
  • atherosclerotic plaque
  • fluorodeoxyglucose
  • macrophages
  • optical scintillating fiber

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Instrumentation
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Medicine (miscellaneous)

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