PET/CT Imaging of Unstable Carotid Plaque with Ga-Labeled Somatostatin Receptor Ligand.

Ga-labeled somatostatin receptor ligand PET imaging has recently been shown in preclinical and early human studies to have a potential role in the evaluation of vulnerable arterial plaques. We prospectively evaluated carotid plaque Ga-DOTATATE uptake in patients with recent carotid events, assessed inter- and intraobserver variability of such measurements, and explored the mechanism of any plaque DOTATATE activity with immunohistochemistry in resected specimens. Twenty consecutively consenting patients with recent symptomatic carotid events (transient ischemic attack, stroke, or amaurosis fugax), due for carotid endarterectomy, were prospectively recruited.