title: Unused arteriovenous grafts as a source of chronic infection in haemodialysed patients with relevance to diagnosis of Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT examination.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clotted arteriovenous grafts (AVG) for haemodialysis which are not used (silent grafts) can serve as a potential source of chronic bacterial infection in patients on dialysis programs. In some cases, the local finding is unclear. The patient only suffers from repeated metastatic infection and the detection of AVG infection is difficult. Nuclear medicine methods have the potential to uncover AVG infection. In this study, we correlated the positron emission tomography (PET)/ computed tomography (CT) findings of the AVG examination with the microbiological findings from removed grafts. The aim was to evaluate the relevance of the Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT method in detecting clotted graft infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 13 patients with clotted grafts were followed-up. Four patients had overall symptoms of infection and 9 patients were asymptomatic. In all cases, the PET CT examination and microbiological examination of the removed graft were provided.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only one mismatch-negative PET CT finding and positive microbiological culture was recorded in the 13 followed-up patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with silent grafts and recurrent infection of equivocal aetiology, PET CT examination can contribute to the diagnosis of AVG infection and, subsequently, to prevent further infectious complications, if the AVG infection is treated appropriately and the graft is removed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bachleda
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kalinová
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Váchalová
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koranda
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18