Could FDG-PET imaging play a role in the detection of progressing atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients?

Important progresses in the management of patients with human immunodeficiency virus, in particular the advent of new anti-retroviral therapies (ART), have turned this rapidly fatal condition into a controllable chronic disease with a life expectancy that approaches the one from the general population. Cardiovascular diseases have now become one of the leading causes of non-HIV-related mortality in this population. Several factors including the presence of HIV in the vascular wall and the development of dyslipidemia and alteration in body fat distribution under ART might play a role the progression of atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients. The use of imaging biomarkers may help to identify the factors associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and select high-risk patients who will benefit the most from the early implementation of preventive treatments.