Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-967634
18F-FDG PET-CT for diagnosis of vascular graft infection: Preliminary results
Introduction: Prosthetic vascular graft infection is a rare but severe complication in reconstructive vascular surgery and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis may reduce complications and duration of hospitalisation. For diagnosis, imaging devices such as US, CT and MRI are widely available. However, morphological imaging techniques are lacking differentiation between active infection and reparative tissue. Our objective is to evaluate the potential of 18F-FDG PET/CT for diagnosis of prosthetic vascular graft infection after surgery using prosthetic grafts especially with synthetic prosthesis.
Methods: Patients underwent thoracic-abdominal-pelvic PET/CT on the Siemens Biograph Sensation 16 (BS16) permitting the acquisition of co-registered 18F-FDG (Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose) PET (350 MBq) and CT. So far data are available of 3 patients with delayed infection. Results: Preliminary results showed infection in 3/3 patients using 18F-FDG (Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose) PET-CT (SUVs=standardized uptake value of >2 for PET as cut-off.). Other vascular localisations were not observed. Additionally, extravascular sites of infection were found in all patients. All patients had elevated infections markers, positive blood cultures and infected prosthesis. The infection was confirmed by biopsy in 3/3 patients.
Conclusion: PET-CT might contribute to the early detection of vascular prosthetic graft infection and thus reduce vital complications and help to select patients suitable for surgical revision. In addition, it might be of particular interest to localize infection in patients presenting multiple vascular and extra-vascular sites of infection.