title: Diagnosis by (18)F-FDG PET/CT of infective endocarditis, staging and monitoring of antibiotic treatment after transposition of surgically corrected great arteries.
abstract: Infective endocarditis is one of the leading causes of fever of unknown origin in those patients with intravascular catheters, prosthetic valves or cardiovascular implantable electronic devices. The diagnosis of infective endocarditis is made according to modified Duke criteria, which are based on blood culture and echocardiographic findings. Demonstration of vegetation with the transoesophageal echocardiography may be difficult in these cases with previous anatomical changes, especially in early phases. Positron emission tomography with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) is well known to show an increased glucidic metabolism in malignant, inflammatory, and infectious processes. Thus, it provides useful functional imaging that enables the disease causing the fever of unknown origin to be detected well before structural changes are evident. Moreover, (18)F-FDG PET/CT helps to detect infectious extra-cardiac involvement, since the whole body is imaged with this technique. (18)F-FDG PET/CT may have an additional promising role for the monitoring of response to antimicrobial therapy in patients with established infective endocarditis, thus evaluating standard treatment outcome, as well as evaluating the need for alternative/intensified treatment options.
authors.affiliation: CETIR Unitat PET. Electronic address: jrgarcia@cetir.es.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Servicio Pediatría, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fortuny
authors.affiliation: Servicio Radiología, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Riaza
authors.affiliation: CETIR Unitat PET.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.affiliation: CETIR Unitat PET.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bassa
authors.affiliation: CETIR Unitat PET.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riera
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005335:Fever of Unknown Origin / Q000209:etiology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: Endocarditis infecciosa; Infective endocarditis; Positron emission tomography with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose; Tomografía por emisión de positrones con (18)Fluorodesoxiglucosa; Transposición grandes vasos; Transposition of great arteries