Aims: In patients with a suspicion of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE), detection of perivalvular infection can be difficult based only on echocardiography. The aim of this retrospective study was to test the interest of radiolabelled leucocyte scintigraphy (LS) for the detection of perivalvular infection in patients with a suspicion of PVE and inconclusive transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE).
Methods And Results: LS was performed in 42 patients. The results of LS were classified as positive in the cardiac area (intense or mild), or negative. Macroscopical aspects and bacteriology were obtained from patients who underwent cardiac surgery (n = 10). Clinical outcome was collected in patients treated medically (n = 32). Among patients with intense signal with LS who underwent surgery (n = 6), five had an abscess confirmed during intervention and one, post-operatively. Patients with intense accumulation of radiolabelled leucocytes with scintigraphy and treated medically (n = 3) had a poor outcome: death (n = 1); prosthetic valve dehiscence (n = 1); and recurrent endocarditis (n = 1). Among patients with mild activity with LS (n = 5), one patient developed a large prosthetic valve dehiscence during the follow-up. The remaining four patients were treated medically and did not present any recurrent endocarditis after a median follow-up of 14 months. No abscess was detected in patients with negative LS who underwent surgery (n = 4). Among the patients with negative LS treated medically (n = 24), none presented recurrent endocarditis after a mean follow-up of 15 ± 16 months. Patient management was influenced by the results of LS in 12 out of 42 patients (29%).
Conclusion: This study suggests that LS is useful for the identification of perivalvular infection in patients with a suspicion of PVE and inconclusive TEE.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ehjci/jet029 | DOI Listing |
BMJ Case Rep
January 2025
General Surgery, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FL-HCC) is a primary liver tumour presenting at a young age. Aggressive surgery of FL-HCC is the mainstay of management unlike other malignancies where metastatic stage precludes curative surgery. There are limited reports of response of FL-HCC to systemic therapies predominantly owing to its rarity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRheumatology (Oxford)
January 2025
Department of Rheumatology, Acute Rheumatology Centre Rhineland-Palatinate, Bad Kreuznach, Germany.
Objective: To examine the longitudinal associations of optical spectral transmission (OST) with clinical inflammatory arthritis activity markers in order to investigate its potential in monitoring disease activity.
Methods: OST measurements were performed in 1,312 wrist and finger joints of 60 patients with clinical suspicion of inflammatory activity, within the context of known rheumatic inflammatory diseases at two separate time intervals. In each time point, patients underwent additional clinical and laboratory examinations.
Ophthalmol Ther
January 2025
Division of Rheumatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
Introduction: Combined uveitis-rheumatology clinics (combined clinics) are a relatively recent clinical care model. Here we report the demographics, ocular and systemic disease characteristics, and medications utilized in patients seen in a combined clinic at a tertiary care hospital in the USA.
Methods: Medical records were reviewed of patients seen at the Combined Clinic at the University of Colorado Hospital between January 1, 2016 and November 1, 2023.
J Craniofac Surg
January 2025
Division of Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery, Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville, FL.
External rigid distraction is an established method for achieving subcranial Le Fort III advancement in severe syndromic craniosynostosis. Craniofacial surgeons commonly use halo-type devices for these corrections, as they allow for multiple vectors of pull and facilitate larger midfacial advancements. Although most complications related to their use involve pin displacement or infection, rare complications such as skull fractures have been reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: De Clérambault’s syndrome (SC), a delusion that another person is in love with the patient, is associated with stalking and other dangerous behaviors. There are suspicions that caregivers are at increased risk of being victims of these behaviors in patients with SC, but little is known about them.
Method: A questionnaire survey was conducted among psychiatric and somatic caregivers to examine the occurrence and consequences of the behavior of patients with SC.
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