Rectus Sheath Hematoma in a Patient with Dual-Antiplatelet Therapy Including Ticagrelor: A Case Report

Rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) is an uncommon cause of abdominal pain associated with several risk factors including trauma, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pregnancy, and anticoagulation as it can be iatrogenic. Dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), combined usage of a P₂Y₁₂ receptor inhibitor and aspirin, is a cornerstone treatment for patients with acute coronary syndromes. Ticagrelor is a P₂Y₁₂ receptor inhibitor with several adverse hemorrhagic complications. An 86-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency department with abdominal pain and a palpable abdominal mass at the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. His medical history revealed coronary artery disease with medications including acetylsalicylic acid and ticagrelor. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography revealed RSH. The patient was treated conservatively with bed rest and analgesia. DAPT is an essential component of the management of acute coronary syndromes to prevent recurrent cardiac thrombotic events. However, hemorrhagic complications such as RSH may be encountered with DAPT. Emergency medicine physicians and cardiologists should keep in mind RSH in patients presenting with abdominal pain and using DAPT with ticagrelor.

Molecular imaging in atherosclerosis

Purpose

As atherosclerosis is a  prominent cause of morbidity and mortality, early detection of atherosclerotic plaques is vital to prevent complications. Imaging plays a significant role in this goal. Molecular imaging and structural imaging detect different phases of atherosclerotic progression. In this review, we explain the relation between these types of imaging with the physiopathology of plaques, along with their advantages and disadvantages. We also discuss in detail the most commonly used positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers for atherosclerosis imaging.

Method

A comprehensive search was conducted to extract articles related to imaging of atherosclerosis in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. The obtained papers were reviewed regarding precise relation with our topic. Among the search keywords utilized were "atherosclerosis imaging", "atherosclerosis structural imaging", "atherosclerosis CT scan" "positron emission tomography", "PET imaging", "18F-NaF", "18F-FDG", and "atherosclerosis calcification."

Result

Although structural imaging such as computed tomography (CT) offers essential information regarding plaque structure and morphologic features, these modalities can only detect macroscopic alterations that occur later in the disease’s progression, when the changes are frequently irreversible. Molecular imaging modalities like PET, on the other hand, have the advantage of detecting microscopic changes and allow us to treat these plaques before irreversible changes occur. The two most commonly used tracers in PET imaging of atherosclerosis are 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG). While there are limitations in the use of 18F-FDG for the detection of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries due to physiological uptake in myocardium and high luminal blood pool activity of 18F-FDG, 18F-NaF PET is less affected and can be utilized to analyze the coronary arteries in addition to the peripheral vasculature.

Conclusion

Molecular imaging with PET/CT has become a useful tool in the early detection of atherosclerosis. 18F-NaF PET/CT shows promise in the early global assessment of atherosclerosis, but further prospective studies are needed to confirm its role in this area.