Journal of Arrhythmia (Jan 2006)

Detection of Pacemaker Lead Infection by Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography

  • Takashi Miura, MD,
  • Osamu Kinoshita, MD,
  • Mitsuaki Horigome, MD,
  • Hiroki Kasai, MD,
  • Kazunori Aizawa, MD,
  • Tohru Yoshioka, MD,
  • Takeshi Tomita, MD,
  • Setsuo Kumazaki, MD,
  • Hiroshi Tsutsui, MD,
  • Jun Koyama, MD,
  • Yoshikazu Yazaki, MD,
  • Uichi Ikeda, MD

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1880-4276(06)80034-7
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 4
pp. 242 – 244

Abstract

Read online

An 80-year-old man was implanted with a DDD pacemaker to treat his sick sinus syndrome in 1990. Eleven years later, he had a pocket infection and cutaneous inflammation. Blood cultures were negative, and 67Ga scintigraphy revealed uptake in the left subclavian region. However, intense abnormal fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake along the pacemaker leads was detected with positron emission tomography (PET). Thoracotomy was performed, vegetations were removed from the right atrial wall and the tricuspid leaflet, encapsulating fibrous tissue was incised, and the lead was removed from the right ventricle.

Keywords