Nuclear Medicine Imaging of Non-orthopedic or Cardiovascular Implantable Device Infection

The use of implantable medical devices has increased in “modern” medical and surgical practice, and the rate of their infections is variable, depending on the type of device and the population risk profile. The overall risk of device-related infection across the population is around 1%, but it might be significantly increased in specific populations as vulnerability to microbial pathogens increases in elderly, immuno-compromised, and hospitalized patients. Device-related infection results from the multifaceted interaction of bacterial, device, and host factor. Multiresistant nosocomial pathogens are the most common organisms colonizing the surface of devices, and a full understanding of how a biofilm formation is crucial to understand the pathogenesis of their infection and define the most suitable treatment. This chapter describes the most relevant implantable medical devices of interest to nuclear medicine and the corresponding diagnostic strategy for each of them with particular regard to the role of nuclear medicine procedure in the diagnostic algorithm.