Title:Molecular Imaging of Vascular Thrombosis
VOLUME: 3 ISSUE: 1
Author(s):Timo Heidt, Felix Gunther, Marvin Krohn-Grimberghe, Karlheinz Peter, Christoph Bode and Constantin von zur Muhlen
Affiliation:Department of Cardiology and Angiology I, University Heart Center Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg.
Keywords:Atherothrombosis, deep vein thrombosis, fibrin, Molecular imaging, MRI, nuclear imaging, platelets, pulmonary
embolism, ultrasound.
Abstract:Vascular thrombosis is a crucial event and still cause of significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Deep
vein thrombosis with subsequent pulmonary embolism constitutes a frequent clinical event, while reliable detection, especially
of small or old thrombi, still remains clinically challenging. Occlusion or thromboembolism in an arterial vessel
may result in myocardial infarction or stroke, and early detection would be of enormous clinical interest. Noninvasive molecular
imaging techniques, particularly targeting key structures of developing or established thrombosis, have demonstrated
its ability to detect this pathology in different models of disease, and current research is heading towards clinical
translation. In this article, recent developments and challenges of molecular imaging of vascular thrombosis involving
magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and nuclear imaging techniques are reviewed.
