RESEARCH ARTICLE


Increased Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake Following Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair: A Predictor of Endoleak?



Kosmas I Paraskevas1, *, Alexandros A Tzovaras2, Vassilios Stathopoulos3, Fotini Gentimi4, Dimitri P Mikhailidis5
1 Department of Vascular Surgery, Red Cross Hospital, Athens, Greece
2 1st Department of Oncology, Aghios Savvas Hospital, Athens, Greece
3 2nd Department of Surgery, Rhodes General Hospital, Rhodes, Greece
4 2nd Department of Pediatric Surgery, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece
5 Department of Clinical Biochemistry (Vascular Disease Prevention Clinics), Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London Medical School, University College London (UCL), London, UK


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© Paraskevas et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Vascular Surgery, Red Cross Hospital, 24, Papagou street, Athens 141 22, Greece; Tel: +30 697777 6202; Fax: +30 210 3215 792; E-mail: paraskevask@hotmail.com


Abstract

The main criterion for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is an AAA diameter ≥5.5 cm. However, some AAAs rupture when they are smaller. Size alone may therefore not be a sufficient criterion to determine rupture risk. Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake is increased in the presence of inflammation and it was suggested that this may be a better predictor of rupture risk than AAA size. Furthermore, increased FDG uptake following endovascular AAA repair may be an indirect predictor of continuous AAA sac enlargement due to the presence of an endoleak (even if this is not detected by imaging modalities) and/or increased AAA rupture risk. The role of FDG uptake needs to be explored further in the management of AAAs.

Keywords: Abdominal aortic aneurysm, fluorodeoxyglucose, endovascular aneurysm repair, rupture risk, predictor, endoleak..