Unexpected myocardial uptake on bone scintigraphy in an infant with Kawasaki disease

Full text: A two-month-old female infant was admitted to hospital because of irritability and poor feeding over the preceding two weeks. There was no history of fever but serum inflammatory markers were elevated and a throat swab yielded a pure growth of Strep, pyogenes. There was no response to antibiotics. The nursing staff noted the infant disliked handling and skeletal pathology was suspected. A bone scan using Tc-99m hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (HDP) showed myocardial activity, with no evidence of abnormal skeletal activity. Subsequent echocardiography showed coronary artery ectasia, typical of Kawasaki disease, with papillary muscle dysfunction, indicating likely myocarditis. A diagnosis of myocarditis secondary to Kawasaki disease was made and the patient promptly improved following intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Cardiac manifestations of Kawasaki disease included coronary artery aneurysms, myocardial infarction, regional perfusion abnormalities and myocarditis. Myocardial uptake of phosphate tracers is well known following myocardial infarction but there was no wall motion disturbance or ECG abnormality to suggest infarction in this patient and she was felt to have myocarditis. Myocardial uptake of phosphate tracers has not previously been reported in Kawasaki disease. Copyright (2003) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc