Added Value of ^99mTc-HMPAO–Labeled Leukocyte SPECT/CT in the Characterization and Management of Patients with Infectious Endocarditis

Abstract

Our results demonstrate the ability of (99m)Tc-HMPAO-WBC scintigraphy to reduce the rate of misdiagnosed cases of IE when combined with standard diagnostic tests in several situations: when clinical suspicion is high but echocardiographic findings are inconclusive; when there is a need for differential diagnosis between septic and sterile vegetations detected at echocardiography; when echocardiographic, laboratory, and clinical data are contradictory; and when valve involvement (especially of a prosthetic valve) needs to be excluded during febrile episodes, sepsis, or postsurgical infections.