Imaging of Endocarditis and Cardiac Device-Related Infections: An Update

IE is a deadly disease requiring prompt diagnosis for adequate patient's management. The diagnosis requires the integration of clinical signs, microbiology data and imaging data and proper discussion within a multidisciplinary team, the endocarditis team. Since the introduction of 18F-FDG-PET/CT and WBC SPECT/CT in the diagnostic algorithm of PVE the nuclear medicine imaging specialists is active part of the Endocarditis Team, requiring proper knowledge of dedicated imaging acquisition protocols, expertise for imaging reading and interpretations to select the best test or combination of tests for each specific clinical situation. In this manuscript, we will review the main technical aspects of each imaging procedure, the most recent literature with specific regards to special challenging populations and provide clinical examples.