Aortic & peripheral vascular diseaseCohort study
Carotid plaque inflammation and calcification on somatostatin receptor PET/CT imaging predict stroke and major adverse cardiovascular events
- retrospective
Authors' conclusion
[68Ga]DOTA-TOC PET/CT enables simultaneous assessment of macrophage-related carotid plaque inflammation and calcification and identifies a subgroup at particularly high risk of stroke and MACE.
Study context
- Population
- Patients who underwent [68Ga]DOTA-TOC PET/CT for suspected or confirmed neuroendocrine tumourspatients evaluated
- Participants
- 353 patients
- Exposure
- Calcified and inflamed carotid plaques vs All other groups
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Carotid artery calcification
Carotid artery calcification present
123/353 (34.8%)
Median calcification volume
77.7 cm3 (IQR 27.9-169.8)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Calcified and inflamed carotid plaques | All other groups | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke and MACE · Median follow-up 55 months (IQR 42-72) · highest rates of stroke and MACE | P < 0.05 | ||
| Stroke | 15.2% | Not reported in the abstract | |
| MACE | 12.1% | Not reported in the abstract |
- Stroke and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE): MACE defined as myocardial infarction, hospitalization for myocardial ischaemia, coronary revascularization, and all-cause death
Focal [68Ga]DOTA-TOC uptake
- Patients with foci of uptake
- Forty-six patients (13.0%)
- Foci of uptake
- 67
- Median SUVmax
- 1.68 (IQR 1.55-1.93)
- Median TBR
- 2.14 (IQR 1.65-2.79)
Stroke and MACE · Median follow-up 55 months (IQR 42-72)
- Combined patient-level phenotype remained independently associated with stroke and MACE in multivariable Cox analysis and remained significant in competing-risk analyses
Original publication
Carotid plaque inflammation and calcification on somatostatin receptor PET/CT imaging predict stroke and major adverse cardiovascular events. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. Published 28 April 2026. doi:10.1093/ehjci/jeag110
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it