Vascular Graft Infection

Vascular graft infection is a severe and life-threatening complication. The pathogenesis, causative microorganisms, and clinical manifestations vary according to the graft’s location and time since surgery. The diagnosis of graft infection is challenging as there is no single “gold standard” test, and diagnosis is based on clinical and radiological criteria. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is the standard imaging modality for the diagnosis of infection but has a low overall pooled sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 63%. PET/CT with FDG shows better diagnostic performance with sensitivity and specificity of 94–96% and 74–80%, respectively. While similar accuracy was found using white blood cell (WBC) scintigraphy, it has several disadvantages when compared to FDG PET/CT in diagnosing graft infection. PET/CT interpretation criteria can affect its performance, with the graft uptake pattern found as the most accurate. Further investigation is required to understand the role of FDG PET/CT in monitoring response to antibiotic therapy.