FDG-PET in Prosthetic Graft Infections

Graft infection following prosthetic vascular reconstruction is an uncommon but severe complication. The clinical presentation is often subtle and nonspecific and may occur long after surgery. Although defining a prosthetic vascular graft infection can be difficult, early diagnosis and treatment are essential for the correct choice of treatment to prevent further complications as well as the high morbidity and mortality associated with repeat surgery and removal of infected grafts. False-positive results may lead to unnecessary surgery while failure to diagnose graft infection may have life-threatening sequels. Scarce literature that is currently available regarding the role of 18F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose imaging for assessment of vascular graft infection suggests that this modality may represent reliable noninvasive imaging modality in this specific clinical setting. PET/CT increases the test specificity and thus improves diagnostic accuracy. The precise anatomic localization of increased 18F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT enables accurate differentiation between graft and adjacent soft tissue infection leading to more accurate diagnosis and subsequent optimized therapeutic strategy.