Diagnostics of "non-acute" vascular prosthesis infection using F-18-FDG PET/CT: our experience with 96 prostheses
Abstract
Vascular prosthesis infection (VPI) is a life-threatening complication that occurs in 0,5-5% of prostheses. Low-grade infections in non-acute patients are a diagnostic challenge requiring a new method with good diagnostic accuracy.
The aim of this work was to define the accuracy of F-18-FDG PET/CT in these settings and to identify essential parameters of the evaluation. PET/CT was performed prospectively in 76 consecutive patients with a total of 96 vascular prosthetic grafts in which infection was suspected.
Among the various assessed parameters only focal FDG uptake and an irregular graft boundary were significant predictors of VPI. Focal intense FDG uptake together with an irregular boundary of the lesion on CT scan predicted VPI with 97% probability