A Retrospective Case–Control Study Examining the Association of Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Suppression and Vascular Wall Inflammation on [ 18 F]FDG-PET/Computed Tomography (CT)
Authors' conclusion
Our study suggests that patients under TSH suppression may experience a significant increase in vascular [18F]FDG-uptake, a marker of arterial inflammation, and, therefore, might be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, the duration of TSH suppression was not significantly associated with vascular [18F]FDG-uptake in our study, indicating that the observed increase in arterial inflammation may not be influenced by the duration of TSH suppression.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with differentiated thyroid cancer under thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression after thyroidectomy and radioiodine ablation; euthyroid controls
- Participants
- 40 vs 25
- Exposure
- TSH suppression vs euthyroid controls
- TSH suppressionn = 40
- Euthyroid controln = 25reference
- Outcome
- Vascular wall inflammation: arterial [18F]FDG-uptake on positron emission tomography (PET)/CT (TBRmax) in carotid arteries, aortic arch, ascending, descending and abdominal aorta
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
| Group | Value | Ascending aorta | Aortic arch | Abdominal aorta | Carotid artery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSH suppression | mean 1.7 (SD 0.2) | 1.8 ± 0.4 | 1.8 ± 0.3 | 1.9 ± 0.4 | 1.4 ± 0.3 |
| Euthyroid control | mean 1.3 (SD 0.1) | 1.4 ± 0.2 | 1.4 ± 0.2 | 1.4 ± 0.2 | 1.1 ± 0.2 |
Value
Ascending aorta
Aortic arch
Abdominal aorta
Carotid artery
- TSH suppression vs Euthyroid control: P < 0.001 — significantly higher with TSH suppression in ascending aorta, aortic arch, abdominal aorta, carotid artery and all vessels combined
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Change in arterial [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-uptake at follow-up scan under continued TSH suppression (n=24) · mean 1.9 ± 1.1 years
- No significant changes in arterial [18F]FDG-uptake in the five arterial sites over time
- P > 0.05
Original publication
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