| Detection of Late Presentation of Poststernotomy Mediastinitis in an Infant by Positron Emission Tomography |
(Department of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery and Department of Cardiovascular Surgery*, Southern Tohoku General Hospital and Southern Tohoku Research Institute for Neuroscience, Koriyama, Japan)
| Shigehiro Morishima |
Takashi Ono |
Masatomo Honda |
| Megumu Kanno* |
Hirofumi Midorikawa* |
Kazunori Ishikawa* |
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Positron emission tomography
(PET) is an established imaging tool in oncology that
has also been used in infectious and inflammatory diseases.
PET combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) can be
used to visualize metabolic activity with precise localization.
We report an infant with late presentation of poststernotomy
mediastinitis, the diagnosis and localization of which
was confirmed by PET/CT. An 8-month old infant, who had
undergone the Jatene procedure and right ventricle outflow
reconstruction 6 months prior, was admitted for inflammation
surrounding the superior aspect of the healed scar. Cultures
from the wound grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA). Although the only symptom was discharge
from the wound, and there were no other signs or symptoms
suggestive of severe general infection, substernal abscess
was suspected by magnetic resonance imaging. Since PET/CT
revealed high accumulation of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose at
the substernal region, the diagnosis of MRSA mediastinitis
was made, which was confirmed by subsequent surgical treatment.
Jpn. J. Cardiovasc. Surg. 37: 96-99 (2008) |
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