SoFIA3: Sodium Fluoride Imaging of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SOFIA3: Sodium Fluoride Imaging (18F-NaF PET-CT)of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
IRAS ID
152670
Contact name
Jennifer Robson
Contact email
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
14\SS\0080, REC reference
Research summary
An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a bulge in the wall of the aorta (the main artery in the body which supplies blood from the heart to the rest of the body). It is more common in men than women and currently affects 5-8% of men aged 65-74.
AAA is caused by hardening and inflammation of the aorta due to things such as smoking and high blood pressure. AAA can grow in size and may eventually burst or rupture, due to the pressure of blood travelling through the weakened artery wall. Ruptured AAA causes major bleeding and death in 90% of cases, including those who undergo emergency surgery.
Planned surgery for AAA (i.e. before rupture) is associated with much better outcomes (1-5% death rate) and the UK has recently established a screening programme to identify people at risk of AAA rupture, using serial ultrasound scans to measure the AAA size. However, the growth rate of an individual AAA is unpredictable and there is no scan which can accurately help predict how quickly an AAA will grow in size and, therefore, allow timely planning of surgery.
Our proposed study will use PET-CT scans, which, when combined with a special dye / marker (18F-Sodium Fluoride), may provide more information about calcification and inflammation in the AAA vessel wall. We will investigate whether this type of scan can help predict the rate of AAA expansion. We plan to invite patients who are already involved in the MA3RS Study to participate in this study.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
14/SS/0080
Date of REC Opinion
27 May 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion