¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in the Assessment of Suspected Mitral Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59667/sjoranm.v24i1.20Keywords:
FDG-PET/CT, Prosthetic valve endocarditis, Infective endocarditis, Mitral valve prosthesisAbstract
A 54-year-old woman with a mechanical mitral valve prosthesis presented with fever and tachycardia. Four pairs of blood cultures were positive for Escherichia coli. Echocardiography showed prosthetic obstruction and a mobile echogenic structure. The differential diagnosis included prosthetic valve endocarditis and prosthetic thrombosis. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT showed focal uptake in the prosthetic and periprosthetic region (SUVmax 2.6). Together with the clinical, microbiological and echocardiographic findings, this supported the diagnosis of prosthetic valve endocarditis. The case illustrates the contribution of PET/CT when echocardiography leaves the cause of prosthetic valve dysfunction uncertain.
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