PMC7714588_01
Transesophageal echocardiography image of patient 1 (panel (a)); arrow shows vegetation. 18F-FDG-PET/CT images of patient 1 (panels (b) and (c)). Arrows show increased 18F-FDG uptake at the site of aortic valve prosthesis.
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fig1
Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) confirmed the vegetation of 9 x 16 mm (Figure 1) detected at admission with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). High focal uptake was detected at the site of the mechanic aortic valve with a maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of 7.4 g/mL (Figure 1).
PMC7714588_02
Transesophageal echocardiography images of patient 2 (panel (a)). Arrow shows vegetation. 18F-FDG-PET/CT images of patient 2 (panels (b)-(d)). Arrows show 18F-FDG uptake at the site brachial artery and fibular artery.
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However, 18F-FDG-PET/CT (injected dose of 18F-FDG 278 MBq, time from injection to scan 50 min following low-dose CT without contrast) revealed focal uptake consistent with embolic foci in the brachial artery and in arteries of both legs (Figure 2). Vegetation on the prosthetic valve was later found on TEE (Figure 2).