Carotid artery plaque uptake of 11C-PK11195 inversely correlates with circulating monocytes and classical CD14++CD16− monocytes expressing HLA-DR

We first demonstrated a reduction in the absolute concentration of monocytes and particularly in classical monocytes expressing HLA-DR in the presence of an increased uptake of 11C-PK11195 in carotid plaques. The present work, despite being a pilot study comprising only a small number of subjects provides new insights in the search for specific cellular biomarkers with potential diagnostic and prognostic value in patients with a known carotid plaque.