Why the study?
Prosthetic valve endocarditis presents an increasing clinical challenge because of rising incidence, diagnostic complexity, and treatment risk, where prompt diagnosis and individualized management are key.
Multimodal imaging, particularly TEE and FDG-PET, enhances the early detection of prosthetic valve endocarditis, and individualized management including surgical debridement yields favorable survival outcomes.
Supports multimodal PVE management in limited data; leaves open optimal strategies pending larger studies.
BACKGROUND: Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) poses a growing clinical challenge due to its rising incidence, diagnostic complexity, and treatment risk. Prompt diagnosis and individualized management are key to optimizing outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective case series analyzes 21 consecutive patients diagnosed with PVE and managed at a tertiary medical center between 2015 and 2024. Clinical characteristics, microbiological findings, imaging modalities, treatment strategies, and outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) contributed diagnostic value in 24 %, particularly when TEE was inconclusive. Surgical intervention was performed in 12 patients (92 % hospital survival), while 9 patients were treated medically. The overall 30-day survival was 95.2 %, with a 2-year survival rate of 75 %. CONCLUSION: Multimodal imaging, especially TEE and FDG-PET, enhances early detection of PVE. Surgical debridement combined with antimicrobial therapy yields favorable outcomes, though individualized treatment-particularly for high-risk patients-remains essential.
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Chen et al. (2025) studied this question.
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