Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34283408›Full record

ArticleInfectious diseases and therapy2021

The Role of 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in Management of Nocardiosis: A Retrospective Study and Review of the Literature.

Ili Margalit, Anat Yahav, Yaara Ben Ari, Haim Ben-Zvi, Avivit Shoham, Elad Goldberg, Michal Weiler-Sagie, Noam Tau, Khitam Muhsen, Jihad Bishara and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Infectious diseases and therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2025
    Article
  3. Nocardiosis: A case series and literature reviewBiomedica : revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Ili MargalitInfectious Diseases Unit, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, 39 Jabotinsky Road, Petah Tikva, Israel. ilimargalit@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2622-418X
Anat YahavRadiology Institute, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
Yaara Ben AriSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
Haim Ben-ZviMicrobiology Laboratory, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel.
Avivit ShohamDepartment of Diagnostic Imaging, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel.
Elad GoldbergSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
Michal Weiler-SagieNuclear Medicine Department, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
Noam TauSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
Khitam MuhsenDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
Jihad BisharaInfectious Diseases Unit, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, 39 Jabotinsky Road, Petah Tikva, Israel.
Mical PaulRappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Hanna Bernstine *Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
Dafna Yahav *Infectious Diseases Unit, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, 39 Jabotinsky Road, Petah Tikva, Israel.
Tel Aviv University · ILRabin Medical Center · ILTechnion – Israel Institute of Technology · ILRambam Health Care Campus · IL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introduction18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) is a well-established tool for managing metastatic infections. Nocardiosis, a primarily pulmonary infection, disseminates at high rates. Routine imaging includes chest CT and brain imaging. We examined the use of FDG-PET/CT in nocardiosis and assessed its contribution to diagnosis and management.

methodsA retrospective study in two tertiary medical centers during 2011-2020. Individuals with nocardiosis for whom FDG-PET/CT was implemented for any reason were included and their medical records were reviewed. A board-certified nuclear medicine physician independently reviewed all scans. Additionally, a systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines, to extract data from publications reporting FDG-PET/CT use for the management of nocardiosis.

resultsFDG-PET/CT contributed to the management of all seven patients who met inclusion criteria. It assisted in ruling out an underlying malignancy (29%, 2/7); establishing a wide infection extent (57%, 4/7); and affecting decisions regarding treatment (57%, 4/7), including drug regimen, oral step-down, and duration of therapy. We identified 20 published case reports on this topic. In 80% (16/20), FDG-PET/CT contributed to the management of nocardiosis similar to our study. In addition, in most of the literature cases, FDG-PET/CT guided the diagnostic biopsy.

conclusionFDG-PET/CT is valuable in the diagnosis and management of individuals with nocardiosis. The contribution of incorporating FDG-PET/CT to the management of individuals with nocardiosis and its role in monitoring treatment response and shortening treatment duration should be evaluated in prospective studies.

Indexed as

ImagingNocardia infectionsOpportunistic infections

Identifiers

PMID34283408
PMCPMC8572926
OpenAlexW3183344314

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.