¹⁸FDG-PET/CT in endocarditis. Is inclusion of lower limbs in acquisition field-of-view mandatory?

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare disease in which prognosis remains poor. The latter is in particular related to septic embolism, which can affect all tissues. IE diagnosis, rendered difficult by various presentations, relies on echocardiography (EC). EC can be overlooked, especially in IE affecting valvular prosthesis. ¹⁸FDG-PET may be helpful in IE; it is a one-step exploration helping in the establishment of diagnosis, in the determination of the existence of metastatic localizations and of a potential portal of entry. Mycotic aneurysms (MA), often asymptomatic, are potentially lethal. Therefore, it is important to detect them early. Systematically extending the ¹⁸FDG-PET acquisition field of view to a true whole body exploration (i.e. from vertex to toe) when exploring IE may help discovering these AM. (authors)