FDG-PET/CT in the diagnosis of aortitis in fever of unknown origin with severe aortic incompetence

A 53-year-old woman with a history of ventricular ectopic ablation was admitted with weight loss, sweats and low grade fever and was found to have severe aortic incompetence and a dilated left ventricular cavity (6.1 cm) on transthoracic echocardiography (figure 1). No vegetations were seen on transoesophageal echocardiography and sequential blood cultures were negative. Despite extensive investigation she continued to deteriorate clinically and had a persistently elevated C reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate at 300 mg/l and 108 mm/h respectively. A positron emission tomography (PET)-CT scan with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) …