Academic radiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A pilot trial to examine the effect of high-dose niacin on arterial wall inflammation using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.
Although studies have reported direct inhibition of inflammatory pathways with niacin, the effect of niacin on arterial wall inflammation remains unknown. We examined the effect of niacin on arterial (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT). ⋯ In this pilot study, adding niacin to statin therapy did not affect arterial wall inflammation measured by FDG-PET/CT. However, an association between changes in arterial FDG uptake and LDL-P was observed. Larger studies are needed to definitively examine the effect of niacin on arterial wall inflammation.