Publication year
2013Source
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 40, 7, (2013), pp. 1102-7ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
Internal Medicine
Nuclear Medicine
Cardiology
Journal title
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Volume
vol. 40
Issue
iss. 7
Page start
p. 1102
Page end
p. 7
Subject
IGMD 1: Functional imaging; N4i 2: Invasive mycoses and compromised host; NCEBP 14: Cardiovascular diseases; ONCOL 3: Translational research N4i 1: Pathogenesis and modulation of inflammation; N4i 2: Invasive mycoses and compromised hostAbstract
PURPOSE: Early detection of infectious endocarditis is challenging. For diagnosing infectious endocarditis, the revised Duke criteria are the gold standard. Evidence of endocardial involvement on echocardiography is a major criterion, but sensitivity and specificity of echocardiography are not optimal. Here we investigated the utility of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) to diagnose infectious endocarditis in patients with gram-positive bacteraemia. METHODS: Seventy-two patients with gram-positive bacteraemia were prospectively included. Patients with a positive blood culture growing Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species or Enterococcus species were eligible when a risk factor for developing metastatic infectious foci was present. Infectious endocarditis was defined according to the revised Duke criteria. All patients underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT and echocardiography. (18)F-FDG uptake in or around the heart valves was evaluated independently by two nuclear medicine physicians. RESULTS: Sensitivity for diagnosing infectious endocarditis with (18)F-FDG PET/CT was 39% and specificity was 93%. The positive predictive value was 64% and negative predictive value was 82%. The mortality rate in patients without infectious endocarditis and without increased (18)F-FDG uptake in or around the heart valves was 18%, and in patients without infectious endocarditis but with high (18)F-FDG uptake in or around the heart valves the mortality rate was 50% (p = 0.181). CONCLUSION: (18)F-FDG PET/CT is currently not sufficiently adequate for the diagnosis of infectious endocarditis because of its low sensitivity. Improvements such as patient preparation with low carbohydrate-fat allowed diet and technical advances in the newest PET/CT scanners may increase sensitivity in future studies.
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- Faculty of Medical Sciences [81051]
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