Publication at First Faculty of Medicine |
2022
Abstract
Despite advances in PET/CT and PET/MR, the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) remains a challenge. The European Society of Cardiology Guidelines (ESC) on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of IE from 2009 and 2015 reflect a clear shift in the role of radionuclide imaging.
The recent guidelines indicate radionuclide imaging to be beneficial in unclear cases of prosthetic IE (PVE) more than 3 months after implantation and in detection of embolic foci in native valve IE (NVE). Of note, leukocyte scintigraphy was recognized in these guidelines as a substitute to PET.
The American Heart Association guidelines from 2015 acknowledged a potential role of PET but called for more evidence.