Potential novel imaging targets of inflammation in cardiac sarcoidosis

Abstract

Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is an inflammatory disease with high morbidity and mortality, with a pathognomonic feature of non-caseating granulomatous inflammation. While 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is a well-established modality to image inflammation and diagnose CS, there are limitations to its specificity and reproducibility. Imaging focused on the molecular processes of inflammation including the receptors and cellular microenvironments present in sarcoid granulomas provides opportunities to improve upon FDG-PET imaging for CS. This review will highlight the current limitations of FDG-PET imaging for CS while discussing emerging new nuclear imaging molecular targets for the imaging of cardiac sarcoidosis. (J Nucl Cardiol 2021) Key Words: Tracer development AE sarcoid heart disease AE inflammation Abbreviations CS Cardiac sarcoidosis FDG Fluorodeoxyglucose PET Positron emission tomography FLT Fluorodeoxythymidine F-MISO Fluoromisonidazole SSTR Somatostatin receptor CXCR CXC chemokine receptor