Aortic root abscess: multimodality imaging with computed tomography and gallium-67 citrate single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography hybrid imaging.
Culture negative endocarditis and aortic root abscess can prove difficult diagnostic challenges. Computed tomography can be extremely useful in this setting. We report a case of an aortic root abscess 3 months after elective aortic valve replacement in which cardiac CT and hybrid imaging with Gallium-67 SPECT complemented workup with transesophageal echocardiography in establishing the diagnosis of an abscess.
Conquest Heart Centre, Conquest Hospital, The Ridge, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7RD, UK. eric.mcwilliams@gmail.com
Eric T
ET
McWilliams
Arash
A
Yavari
Vivek
V
Raman
D000038:Abscess / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals