Age-related differences in the activity of arterial mineral deposition and regional bone metabolism: a 18F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography study

Summary Functional 18 F-fluoride PET demonstrated an inverse relationship between the activity of arterial mineral deposition and regional bone metabolism. While bone metabolism decreases with age, the activity of arterial mineral deposition increases. Introduction The extent of arterial calcification increases with age, whereas bone mineral density decreases, evidencing a well-known inverse correlation on morphological basis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional relationship between the activity of arterial mineral deposition and regional bone metabolism as assessed by 18 F-sodium fluoride (NaF) PET/CT. Methods Three hundred four subjects were examined by 18 F-NaF PET/CT. Tracer accumulation in the femoral arteries was analyzed both qualitatively and semiquantitatively by measuring the blood-pool-corrected standardized uptake value (target-to-background ratio). Uptake was compared with cardiovascular risk factors (RFs), calcified plaque burden, and regional bone metabolism as assessed by PET/CT. Results The activity of arterial mineral deposition significantly increased with age ( p