F-18 FDG PET/CT is now an important part of the diagnostic workup in suspected prosthetic valve endocarditis, yet normal FDG uptake within the first year after combined aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement is unknown.
A team led by presenter Dr. Ricardo Budde, PhD, an associate professor at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues performed F-18 FDG PET/CT scans in a group of 10 patients at three months (group 1) and 10 patients at one year (group 2) after uncomplicated procedures. The group then compared FDG uptake intensity based on standardized uptake values (SUV) between the groups.
FDG uptake around the ascending aorta prosthesis was low or intermediate in 19 of 20 patients and mostly showed a homogenous diffuse pattern in 18 of 20 patients. SUVmax around the valve was 5 in group 1 and 6.3 in group 2, and SUVratio was 2.5 in group 1 and 2.9 in group 2.
Normal FDG uptake should be considered when interpreting F-18 FDG PET/CT scans performed for suspected endocarditis in the first year after combined aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement, Budde and colleagues concluded.
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