Reduced myocardial 18F-FDG uptake after calcium channel blocker administration. Initial observation for a potential new method to improve plaque detection.

Purpose Physiological glucose uptake by the myocardium may hamper visualization of coronary atherosclerotic plaques in 18F-FDG PET studies. Intracellular myocardial calcium relates to glucose influx. We assessed whether administration of a calcium channel blocker such as verapamil could decrease myocardial 18F-FDG uptake in mice.