Advances in Molecular Imaging in Infective Endocarditis

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Infective endocarditis (IE) presents diagnostic challenges due to varied causes and symptoms.
• IE can lead to severe complications and increased mortality.
• Molecular imaging offers potential for improved IE diagnosis and understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the diagnostic performance and guideline indications for hybrid molecular imaging in IE.
• To evaluate the role of 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT in IE diagnosis.
• To highlight the growing importance of nuclear imaging in IE management.

Main Methods:

• Review of current evidence on diagnostic performance of 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT/CT.
• Analysis of current evidence on diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT.
• Assessment of utilization in current clinical guidelines for IE.

Main Results:

• Both 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT provide added diagnostic value in assessing patients at risk for IE.
• Different molecular processes underlying each imaging technique result in distinct imaging properties.
• Nuclear imaging offers insights into molecular-level infection and aids in therapeutic strategy determination.

Conclusions:

• Molecular imaging modalities like SPECT/CT and PET/CT are increasingly valuable in the IE diagnostic work-up.
• These techniques enhance diagnostic accuracy and provide prognostic information.
• Nuclear imaging should be integrated into the IE diagnostic algorithm for improved patient care.