Nuclear Cardiology Around the World: A PatientFirst Approach

Case 1 Slides

Pdf Summary

A 74-year-old patient with a history of heart failure and a prosthetic aortic valve presented with symptoms such as dyspnea, orthopnea, and peripheral edema. Despite negative blood cultures, diagnostic tests revealed periprosthetic leaks and findings suggestive of infectious endocarditis. The patient met criteria outlined in the ESC guidelines for possible endocarditis. Further evaluation with PET-CT using 2-[18F]FDG was recommended. This case highlights the challenges in diagnosing infectious endocarditis in patients with prosthetic valves and underscores the importance of thorough clinical assessment and appropriate imaging modalities for accurate diagnosis and management.

Keywords

74-year-old patient

heart failure

prosthetic aortic valve

dyspnea

orthopnea

peripheral edema

periprosthetic leaks

infectious endocarditis

ESC guidelines

PET-CT