ABSTRACT
In the late 1990s, predictions were made that by the year 2020 cardiovascular disease would become a dominant health problem and the major cause of mortality. The prophecy has already been fulfilled almost a decade earlier—cardiovascular disease is a prevalent problem in today’s aging American society. Molecular imaging has the potential to significantly impact preclinical research and future clinical cardiovascular care. The introduction of novel imaging technologies allows noninvasive diagnosis and risk assessment. Certainly, the most common cardiovascular pathologies that are prevalent in today’s society include hypertension and atherosclerosis. These in turn lead to further complications of the cardiovascular system. If treatment is not administered, the inflammatory response progresses significantly and causes further complications. One of the most significant pathological processes in the body associated with cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis or aortic aneurysms, are inflammatory changes localized in and around the spot of interest.
