Absence of infective endocarditis relapse when end-of-treatment fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography is negative
Authors' conclusion
In this series of 62 patients with non-operated IE who underwent EOT FDG-PET/CT, those with a negative scan (almost half of the study population) did not develop IE relapse after a median follow-up of 10 months.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with non-operated infective endocarditis (IE) (native or prosthetic valve) undergoing end-of-treatment (EOT) FDG-PET/CT 30–180 days after antibiotic initiation42 (68%) prosthetic valve IE
- Participants
- 62 patients
- Exposure
- Negative vs positive EOT FDG-PET/CT
- Negative EOT FDG-PET/CTn = 29reference
- Positive EOT FDG-PET/CTn = 33
- Outcome
- IE relapse
Methodological detailsMedian follow-up 10 months
- Median follow-up 10 months
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Negative EOT FDG-PET/CT
0/29
0 of 29
Positive EOT FDG-PET/CT
7/33
7 of 33
P = 0.01
- All relapses occurred with positive EOT FDG-PET/CT
- n = 7, 11%
- Median delay to relapse after EOT FDG-PET/CT
- 10 days (0; 45)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Proportion of positive scans, EOT vs initial FDG-PET/CT
- Positive scans decreased significantly (EOT vs initial)
- 53% vs. 77%, P < 0.0001
Original publication
Absence of infective endocarditis relapse when end-of-treatment fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography is negative. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. Published 12 June 2023. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it