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Analysis of the utility of 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of vascular graft infection
, 1, 3
Affiliations- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
- National Information Processing Institute, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Stefan Kardynał Wyszyński Province Specialist Hospital, Poland
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Abstract
Background: As a result of constantly improving surgical methods, an increasing number of patients have medical devices implanted in the cardiovascular system (including vascular grafts and endografts). Such patients are characterised by their high risk of infectious complications due to the possibility of biofilm formation on implanted material. This work aims to analyse the utility of 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT in diagnosing vascular graft and endograft infections.
Material and methods: The study was undertaken on a group of 58 patients, of whom 34 were in the study group, and 24 were in the control group. The 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT study was conducted in the Nuclear Medicine Department at the University Hospital of Lublin. The inclusion criteria for the study group were the presence of a vascular graft or endograft that encompasses the aorta, and strong clinical suspicion of its infection. The inclusion criteria for the control group were the presence of a vascular graft or endograft in the large arteries and the absence of signs of its infection on 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT, as well as the absence of clinically apparent signs and symptoms during six months of observation after 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT. All patients found in the database that met the criteria were included.
Results: Vascular endografts were more common in the control group than in the study group. However, in the case of infection of the vascular endograft, signs of infection in 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT were more severe. Images in the study group were divided into three groups that represent image patterns based on CT and PET characteristics. The first pattern (P1) was recognised in six patients. The second (P2) and third (P3) were visible in 11 and 17 patients, respectively.
Conclusions: Comparative analysis of the study and control groups demonstrates the utility of 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of vascular graft/endograft infection.
Abstract
Background: As a result of constantly improving surgical methods, an increasing number of patients have medical devices implanted in the cardiovascular system (including vascular grafts and endografts). Such patients are characterised by their high risk of infectious complications due to the possibility of biofilm formation on implanted material. This work aims to analyse the utility of 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT in diagnosing vascular graft and endograft infections.
Material and methods: The study was undertaken on a group of 58 patients, of whom 34 were in the study group, and 24 were in the control group. The 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT study was conducted in the Nuclear Medicine Department at the University Hospital of Lublin. The inclusion criteria for the study group were the presence of a vascular graft or endograft that encompasses the aorta, and strong clinical suspicion of its infection. The inclusion criteria for the control group were the presence of a vascular graft or endograft in the large arteries and the absence of signs of its infection on 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT, as well as the absence of clinically apparent signs and symptoms during six months of observation after 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT. All patients found in the database that met the criteria were included.
Results: Vascular endografts were more common in the control group than in the study group. However, in the case of infection of the vascular endograft, signs of infection in 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT were more severe. Images in the study group were divided into three groups that represent image patterns based on CT and PET characteristics. The first pattern (P1) was recognised in six patients. The second (P2) and third (P3) were visible in 11 and 17 patients, respectively.
Conclusions: Comparative analysis of the study and control groups demonstrates the utility of 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of vascular graft/endograft infection.
Keywords
blood vessel prostheses; positron emission tomography/computed tomography; infections
About this articleTitle
Analysis of the utility of 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of vascular graft infection
Journal
Issue
Vol 26 (2023): Continuous Publishing
Article type
Research paper
Pages
123-129
Published online
2023-10-03
Page views
520
Article views/downloads
308
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Nucl. Med. Rev 2023;26:123-129.
Keywords
blood vessel prostheses
positron emission tomography/computed tomography
infections
Authors
Jakub Mitura
Beata Chrapko
Marek Chrapko
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