68 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 68 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. Methods: Twenty consecutively consenting patients with recent symptomatic carotid events (transient ischemic attack, stroke, or amaurosis fugax), due for carotid endarterectomy, were prospectively recruited. 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT of the neck was performed before surgery. 68 Ga-DOTATATE uptake was measured by drawing regions of interest along the carotid plaques and contralateral plaques/carotid arteries by an experienced radionuclide radiologist and radiographer. Two PET quantification methods with inter-and intraobserver variability were assessed. Resected carotid plaques were retrieved for somatostatin receptor subtype-2 (sst2) immunohistochemical staining. Results: The median time delay between research PET and surgery was 2 d. SUVs and target-to-background ratios for the symptomatic plaques and the asymptomatic contralateral carotid arteries/plaques showed no significant difference (n 5 19, P . 0.10), regardless of quantification method. The intraclass correlation coefficient was greater than 0.8 in all measures of carotid artery/plaque uptake (SUV) and greater than 0.6 in almost all measures of target-to-background ratio. None of the excised plaques was shown to contain cells (macrophages, lymphocytes, vessel-associated cells) expressing sst2 on their cell membrane. Conclusion: 68 Ga-DOTATATE activity on PET in recently symptomatic carotid plaques is not significantly different from contralateral carotids/plaques. Any activity seen on PET is not shown to be from specific sst2 receptor-mediated uptake in vitro. It is therefore unlikely that sst2 PET/CT imaging will have a role in the detection and characterization of symptomatic carotid plaques. At herosclerosis is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity.There is the concept that although atherosclerotic plaques may contribute to symptoms by luminal stenosis, it is the disruption of unstable plaques that leads to catastrophic events, including stroke and myocardial infarction. Termed vulnerable plaques, these unstable plaques are believed to have characteristic features such as inflammatory cell infiltration, lipid cores, and fibrous caps (1,2).Measuring the degree of luminal stenosis was the mainstay of assessment and directed management decisions until recently (3-5). Recognition of this method's limitation has driven the use of biomarkers, such as fractional flow reserve, in coronary disease and exploration of functional imaging to noninvasively identify vulnerable plaques (6,7).Radionuclide imaging has the advantageous capability of directly probing molecular mechanisms in vivo using radi...