title: Long-term results confirmed that 18F-FDG-PET/CT was an excellent diagnostic modality for early detection of vascular grafts infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We sought to evaluate the potential role of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) for the detection and diagnosis of potential infections of vascular grafts using combining metabolic (i.e., radioactive fluorine-fluoro-D-deoxyglucose [18F-FDG]) PET with morphological (CT) information and investigate long-term capability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients with suspected vascular-graft infection underwent thoracic-abdominal-pelvic FDG PET combined with contrast-enhanced CT using a hybrid PET-CT scanner providing co-registered PET and CT images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this retrospect study, we suspected graft infection in 14 of 17 patients detected using PET-CT and increased the maximal uptake of 18F-FDG around the grafts. Other vascular localizations were not observed. All patients with positive PET-CT results underwent redo-surgery, and the infection was ultimately confirmed using microbiological testing in 12 of 14 patients. Follow-up time was median of 58 months (range 36-73 months) for all 17 patients. In these patients, there was no further evidence of graft infection found on clinical and imaging follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is first investigation presenting long-term follow-up, which confirmed that 18F-FDG-PET/CT is an excellent diagnostic modality for suspected vascular graft infection. 18F-FDG PET-CT exhibited a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 71.4% for the detection of vascular-graft infection.
authors.affiliation: Service of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland - saziye.karaca@hcuge.ch.
authors.forename: Saziye
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karaca
authors.affiliation: Service of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rager
authors.affiliation: Service of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ratib
authors.affiliation: Service of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Afksendiyos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalangos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18