title: PET-CT imaging in patients with chronic sternal wound infections prior to reconstructive surgery: A case series.
abstract: Late presenting and recurrent sternal wound infections post-sternotomy are difficult to treat, with the clinical picture not necessarily reflecting the underlying problem. As a result of our experience, we suggest that these chronic cases should be managed using a different algorithm to acute sternal wound infection. Positron emission tomography combined with computerized tomography (PET-CT) imaging may be potentially useful in enabling accurate localization of disease sites, which guides adequate debridement prior to definitive reconstruction. It may also allow for disease surveillance and monitoring of the response to antimicrobial treatment. We present three cases which support the need for pre-operative imaging using PET-CT.
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK. Electronic address: cr609@ic.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Read
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK.
authors.forename: Olivier A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Branford
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK.
authors.forename: Liaquat S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Verjee
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK.
authors.forename: Simon H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects; D003646:Debridement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011300:Preoperative Care; D056346:Sternotomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Musculoskeletal infection; Osteomyelitis; PET-CT; Sternal wound infection