Therapeutic Effects of Lipid Lowering Medications on Myocardial Blood Flow, Inflammation, and Sympathetic Nerve Activity Using Nuclear Techniques

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Statins are routinely applied in patients with coronary artery disease, as they allow significantly to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Although those drugs are endorsed by current guidelines and prescribed routinely, a substantial portion of patients are still statin-intolerant and image-piloted strategies may then be helpful to identify patients that need further intensified treatment, e.g., to initiate treatment with proprotein convertase subtilisin / kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i). In addition, it has also been advocated that statins exhibit nonlipid, cardio-protective effects including improved cardiac nerve integrity, blood flow, and anti-inflammatory effects in congestive heart failure (HF) patients. RECENT FINDINGS: In subjects after myocardial infarction treated with statins, (123I)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy has already revealed enhanced cardiac nerve function relative to patients without statins. In addition, all of those aforementioned statin-targeted pathways in HF can be visualized and monitored using dedicated cardiac radiotracers, e.g., (123)I-MIBG or (18)F-AF78 (for cardiac nerve function), (18)F-flurpiridaz (to determine coronary flow) or (68)Ga-PentixaFor (to detect inflammation). SUMMARY: Statins exhibit various cardio-beneficial effects, including improvement of cardiac nerve function, blood flow, and reduction of inflammation, which can all be imaged using dedicated nuclear cardiac radiotracers. This may allow for in vivo monitoring of statin-induced cardioprotection beyond lipid profiling in HF patients.