Adrián Jerónimo1, Carmen Olmos2, Isidre Vilacosta1, Aida Ortega-Candil3, Cristina Rodríguez-Rey3, María Jesús Pérez-Castejón3, Cristina Fernández-Pérez4, Carlos Nicolás Pérez-García1, Daniel García-Arribas1, Carlos Ferrera1, José Luis Carreras3. 1. Instituto Cardiovascular, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdSSC), Madrid, Spain. 2. Instituto Cardiovascular, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdSSC), Madrid, Spain. carmen.olmosblanco@gmail.com. 3. Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdSSC), Madrid, Spain. 4. Servicio de Medicina Preventiva, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdSSC), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosing infective endocarditis (IE) associated with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) is not well established. Current ESC guidelines recommend the use of FDG-PET imaging in patients with CIEDs and positive blood cultures, but the number of studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of FDG-PET imaging in these patients remain limited. Our objective was to assess the diagnostic yield of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with suspected CIED infections, differentiating between pocket infection (PI) and lead infection (CIED-IE). METHODS AND RESULTS: From 2013 to 2018, all patients (n = 63) admitted to a hospital with suspected CIED infection were prospectively recruited, undergoing a diagnostic work-up including a PET/CT. Explanted devices and material from the pocket were cultured. 14 cases corresponded to isolated PI and 13 were categorized as CIED-IE. Considering radionuclide uptake in the intracardiac portion of the lead, sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT for CIED-IE were 38.5% and 98.0%, respectively. Positive (19.2) and negative (0.6) likelihood ratio values, suggest that a positive PET/CT is much more probable to correspond to a patient with CIED-IE, whereas it is not possible to exclude this diagnosis when negative. For PI, sensitivity and specificity were 72.2% and 95.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The yield of 18F-FDG PET/CT for suspected CIED infections differs depending on the site of infection. Due to very high specificity but poor sensitivity, negative studies must be interpreted with caution if the suspicion of CIED-IE is high.
BACKGROUND: Utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosing infective endocarditis (IE) associated with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) is not well established. Current ESC guidelines recommend the use of FDG-PET imaging in patients with CIEDs and positive blood cultures, but the number of studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of FDG-PET imaging in these patients remain limited. Our objective was to assess the diagnostic yield of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with suspected CIED infections, differentiating between pocket infection (PI) and lead infection (CIED-IE). METHODS AND RESULTS: From 2013 to 2018, all patients (n = 63) admitted to a hospital with suspected CIED infection were prospectively recruited, undergoing a diagnostic work-up including a PET/CT. Explanted devices and material from the pocket were cultured. 14 cases corresponded to isolated PI and 13 were categorized as CIED-IE. Considering radionuclide uptake in the intracardiac portion of the lead, sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT for CIED-IE were 38.5% and 98.0%, respectively. Positive (19.2) and negative (0.6) likelihood ratio values, suggest that a positive PET/CT is much more probable to correspond to a patient with CIED-IE, whereas it is not possible to exclude this diagnosis when negative. For PI, sensitivity and specificity were 72.2% and 95.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The yield of 18F-FDG PET/CT for suspected CIED infections differs depending on the site of infection. Due to very high specificity but poor sensitivity, negative studies must be interpreted with caution if the suspicion of CIED-IE is high.