High 18F-FDG Uptake in Synthetic Aortic Vascular Grafts on PET/CT in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Patients

Abstract

Graft infection is a serious complication to vascular surgery. The aim of this study was to assess ¹⁸F-FDG uptake in vascular grafts in patients with or without symptoms of graft infection. Methods: In all 2,045 patients examined by PET/CT at our clinic, 16 patients with synthetic aortic grafts were identified and reevaluated for ¹⁸F-FDG accumulation. Clinical and biochemical data were obtained from patient records. Results: High ¹⁸F-FDG uptake was found in 10 of 12 grafts in the patients who underwent open surgery and in 1 of 4 grafts in patients who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair. On the basis of biochemical and clinical data, it was concluded that 1 of the 16 patients had a graft infection at the time of investigation. Conclusion: ¹⁸F-FDG uptake in vascular grafts was found in the vast majority of patients without graft infection. The risk of a false-positive diagnosis of graft infection by ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT is evident.