Method for detecting early atherosclerosis and vascular damage using radioactive tracers and intravascular radiation detection devices

A method for use in detecting focal accumulation of radiopharmaceutical agents within an arterial lumen of a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

• injecting into the patient a solution containing a radioactive tracer which specifically accumulates in metabolically active plaque;
• forming a miniaturized radiation detector and readout for local radioactivity imaging and detection;
• inserting said radiation detector into a blood vessel of the patient;
• characterizing the radioactivity to ascertain whether the atherosclerotic plaques as active, unstable, or vulnerable;
• quantifying a concentration of said atherosclerotic plaque by comparing a ratio of abnormal-to-normal metabolic activity;
• and
• treating said metabolically active plaque according to its characterization.

A method for use in detecting focal accumulation of radiopharmaceutical agents within an arterial lumen of a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

• injecting into the patient a solution containing a radioactive tracer which specifically accumulates in metabolically active plaque;
• forming a miniaturized radiation detector and readout for local radioactivity imaging and detection;
• inserting said radiation detector into a blood vessel of the patient;
• detecting nuclear particles within the pathological tissue;
• differentiating the pathological tissue of interest from any background radiation;
• isolating the volume of pathological tissue of interest from the larger pool of background radioactivity;
• reading the level of radioactivity along a vessel wall;
• quantifying a concentration of said atherosclerotic plaque;
• characterizing the radioactivity to ascertain whether the atherosclerotic plaques as active, unstable, or vulnerable;
• and
• treating said metabolically active plaque according to its characterization.