Gallium-67 and magnetic resonance imaging in aortic root abscess

Perivascular abscess in the aortic root is a serious complication of infective endocarditis and is recognized infrequently with noninvasive techniques. This report describes a patient with sepsis who was imaged with 67Ga and magnetic resonance (MR) in order to locate a site of infection. The 67Ga image showed increased activity in the substernal region. Magnetic resonance correctly detected the multilocular aortic root abscess, which had extended into the interatrial septum. The combination of the sensitive 67Ga with the high-resolution MR image provided a useful method to locate aortic root abscesses and to identify contiguous spread.