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Cambridge Cardiovascular

 

Research

Multimodal Molecular Imaging of Carotid Atheroinflammation and its Role in Stroke Severity and Recovery

Carotid artery stenosis is a major cause of stroke. The narrowing of these arteries is caused by atheroma; fatty deposits that cause ‘furring up’ of the arteries. Inflammation within atheroma is known to be associated with atheroma rupture and formation of blood clots that may break off and trigger strokes (thromboemboli). What is not known is how this affects recovery in the longer term.

My research uses Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to assess different patterns of inflammation within the carotid arteries of participants who have had a stroke due to carotid artery stenosis. This is then compared to the severity and recovery from stroke assessed using clinical and radiological techniques. The research considers not only the physical effects of a stroke but also the effects upon cognition and psychological wellbeing. Understanding how inflammation affects these outcomes will have important implications for risk stratification, prognostication, and patient-centred rehabilitation.

Publications

Key publications: 

18F-FDG Uptake on PET/CT in Symptomatic versus Asymptomatic Carotid Disease: a Meta-Analysis. Chowdhury MM, Tarkin JM, Evans NR, Le E, Warburton EA, Hayes PD, Rudd JHF, Coughlin PA. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2018 Aug;56(2):172-179.

PET imaging of the neurovascular interface in cerebrovascular disease. Evans NR, Tarkin JM, Buscombe JR, Markus HS, Rudd JHF, Warburton EA. Nat Rev Neurol. 2017 Nov;13(11):676-688.

PET imaging of the neurovascular interface in cerebrovascular disease. Evans NR, Tarkin JM, Buscombe JR, Markus HS, Rudd JHF, Warburton EA. Nat Rev Neurol. 2017 Nov;13(11):676-688.

Clinical frailty is independently associated with non-prescription of anticoagulants in older patients with atrial fibrillation. Induruwa I, Evans NR, Aziz A, Reddy S, Khadjooi K, Romero-Ortuno R. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2017 Nov;17(11):2178-2183.

Detection of Atherosclerotic Inflammation by 68Ga-DOTATATE PET Compared to [18F]FDG PET Imaging. Tarkin JM, Joshi FR, Evans NR, Chowdhury MM, Figg NL, Shah AV, Starks LT, Martin-Garrido A, Manavaki R, Yu E, Kuc RE, Grassi L, Kreuzhuber R, Kostadima MA, Frontini M, Kirkpatrick PJ, Coughlin PA, Gopalan D, Fryer TD, Buscombe JR, Groves AM, Ouwehand WH, Bennett MR, Warburton EA, Davenport AP, Rudd JH. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017 Apr 11;69(14):1774-1791.

Molecular imaging of atherosclerosis with integrated PET imaging. Hammad B, Evans NR, Rudd JHF, Tawakol A. J Nucl Cardiol. 2017 Jun;24(3):938-943.

Internal carotid artery dissection. Stoker TB, Evans NR, Warburton EA. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2016 Dec 2;77(12):708-711.

Imaging unstable plaque. Sriranjan RS, Tarkin JM, Evans NR, Chowdhury MM, Rudd JH. Q J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2016 Sep;60(3):205-18.

PET Imaging of Atherosclerotic Disease: Advancing Plaque Assessment from Anatomy to Pathophysiology. Evans NR, Tarkin JM, Chowdhury MM, Warburton EA, Rudd JH. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2016 Jun;18(6):30.

Imaging Atherosclerosis. Tarkin JM, Dweck MR, Evans NR, Takx RA, Brown AJ, Tawakol A, Fayad ZA, Rudd JH. Circ Res. 2016 Feb 19;118(4):750-69.

Clinical Lecturer in Geriatric and Stroke Medicine
Dr Nicholas  Evans

Contact Details

Affiliations

Classifications: 
Person keywords: 
atrial fibrillation
stroke
atherosclerosis
imaging