Pulmonary vascular disease & thromboembolismCohort study
The Prognostic Value of 18F-FAPI PET/CT Imaging in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
- Prospective cohort study
- consecutive patients
Authors' conclusion
18F-FAPI PET uptake in the RV free wall may be a noninvasive and promising prognostic indicator for PAH.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with PAH undergoing 18F-FAPI PET/CT, August 2022 to June 2024
- Participants
- 46 patients
- Outcome
- Clinical worsening events
- Follow-up
- Median 17.0 months
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Clinical worsening
- Patients with clinical worsening events
- 22 (47.8%)
- TBR of right ventricular (RV) free wall as independent predictor of clinical worsening (multivariable Cox), HR
- 1.699 (95% CI 1.153-2.415); P = 0.007
- TBR of RV free wall (TBRRVFW) predicting clinical worsening, AUC
- 0.75 (95% CI 0.60-0.87)
- TBRRVFW + WHO functional class + RV fractional area change, AUC
- 0.83 (95% CI 0.69-0.93)
- Poorer prognosis with TBRRVFW > 2.1 (Kaplan-Meier)
- log-rank P = 0.005
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
TBR in RV and pulmonary arteries (PAs) by risk strata
- TBR in RV and PAs progressively increased with higher risk strata
- all P < 0.05
TBR in RV and PAs, clinical worsening vs no clinical worsening
- Significantly higher TBR in RV and PAs with clinical worsening
- all P < 0.05
Original publication
The Prognostic Value of 18F-FAPI PET/CT Imaging in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. Published 5 January 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jcmg.2025.11.010
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it