Key result
Gallium-67 scintigraphy identifies a rare pericardial abscess 40 years post-surgery, guiding successful treatment.
Why the study?
Pericardial abscess occurring decades after cardiac surgery is rare and the diagnostic value of Gallium-67 scintigraphy in this context is important to demonstrate.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Gallium-67 scintigraphy can be a useful diagnostic tool for identifying rare late-onset pericardial abscesses decades after cardiac surgery.
May aid diagnosis of rare late pericardial abscess; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation.
A 45-year-old female who had cardiac surgery 40 years earlier was transferred to our hospital because of refractory fever. Echocardiography showed an intrapericardial mass. Gallium-67 (67Ga) scintigraphy revealed abnormal accumulation at the same site of the intrapericardial mass and thoracoscopy revealed that the mass was a pericardial abscess (PA). After surgical resection, drainage and antibiotic therapy, her fever subsided and the abnormal accumulation of 67Ga disappeared. This case showed a very rare clinical course of PA and the importance of 67Ga scintigraphy for its diagnosis.
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Mitsuma et al. (2005) conducted a case report in Pericardial abscess (n=1). Gallium-67 scintigraphy and surgical resection was evaluated on Clinical recovery and resolution of abnormal 67Ga accumulation. Gallium-67 scintigraphy successfully identified a rare pericardial abscess caused by Alcaligenes fecalis 40 years after cardiac surgery, leading to successful surgical and antibiotic treatment.
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