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Infective EndocarditisCOUNTNCT03683355

Characterization of RadiOlabeled Tracer Uptake Pattern in Noninfected Transcatheter Aortic Valves.

An observational study of Infective Endocarditis, run by Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Quebec at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Therefore, the objective of the study is to characterize the pattern of radiolabeled tracer (18F-FDG) uptake in noninfected transcatheter heart valves in early follow-up after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Infective Endocarditis
What is being tested?
18F-FDG PET/CT
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
How many people
30 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
9 Nov 2018to 1 Mar 2025
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Patients undergoing TAVR procedure with Edwards Sapien 3 and Core Valve Evolut R devices.

Who may be able to join

  • Patients >18-year-old undergoing TAVR procedure with Edwards Sapien 3 and Core Valve Evolut R devices.
  • Informed written consent

Who cannot join

  • Inability to provide signed informed consent.
  • Patients with definitive or possible IE according to modified Duke criteria and current clinical guidelines for the management of IE.
  • Any contraindication for 18F-FDG PET/CT.
  • Any condition making it unlikely the patient will be able to complete the protocol procedures and follow-up visits.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • Centre de recherche de L'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec

    Québec, Quebec, G1V 4G5

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Characterization of Radiolabeled Tracer Uptake Pattern in Noninfected Transcatheter Aortic Valves. The COUNT Study. A Prospective, Observational Study.

Therefore, the objective of the study is to characterize the pattern of radiolabeled tracer (18F-FDG) uptake in noninfected transcatheter heart valves in early follow-up after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Read the detailed description

Diagnostic accuracy of Infective endocarditis (IE) is commonly challenging. Current clinical guidelines recommend the use of the modified Duke criteria, based on clinical, echocardiographic and biological findings, as well as the results of blood cultures and serologies. Advances in imaging techniques have resulted in an improvement in the identification of endocardial involvements and extracardiac complications of IE. Thus, recent works have demonstrated that 18F-FDG PET/CT and radiolabeled leucocyte SPECT/CT may improve the detection of silent endocardial lesions. The sites of radiotracer accumulation show regions of a high metabolic activity due to an inflammation or infection process. It is well known that, in surgical prosthetic valves, a mild radiotracer uptake in the perivalvular area may occur in the absence of infection and could therefore be considered as a normal pattern, particularly early after valve replacement. However, evidence of this phenomenon is lacking regarding transcatheter heart valves and the factors used to distinguish between normal and abnormal patterns of radiolabeled tracer are not standardized. The hypothesis is that patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) show a radiolabeled tracer (18F-FDG) uptake around the prosthesis despite the absence of IE. Moreover, the uptake pattern might vary between different platforms.

Therefore, the objective of the study is to characterize the pattern of radiolabeled tracer uptake in noninfected transcatheter heart valves in early follow-up after TAVR.

This will be a pilot study including 30 patients after TAVR procedure.

Being tested
18F-FDG PET/CT
Keywords
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement, Infective endocarditis, Radionuclide imaging, Radiolabeled tracer uptake pattern
Medical subject headings
Endocarditis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • 18F-FDG PET/CTRadiation

    18F-FDG PET/CT and blood cultures will be performed at 3-month follow-up after TAVR Patients with positive 18F-FDG PET/CT (moderate or intense radiolabeled tracer uptake) will be scheduled for a second 18F-FDG PET/CT at 6-month follow-up.

Study groups in NCT03683355
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Edwards Sapien 3Patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement with the Edwards Sapien 3 valve
Receives: Radiation: 18F-FDG PET/CT
Core Valve Evolut RPatients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement with the Core Valve Evolut R valve
Receives: Radiation: 18F-FDG PET/CT

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Radiolabeled tracer uptake grade (intense, moderate, mild or absent) in the prosthetic and periprosthetic areas.

    Visual analysis grading the radiolabeled tracer molecules uptake in the prosthetic and periprosthetic areas as intense, moderate, mild or absent. This visual analysis will be defined whether the PET/CT was positive (intense/moderate) or negative (mild/absent).

    Measured: 3 months after TAVR

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) using an average of 3 measurements from 3 volumes of interest (5mm3) introduced in the prosthetic region at equal distances from each other.

    The intensity of the radiolabeled tracer uptake will be determined by measuring the maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax)), which is obtained by normalizing the tissue concentration of the radiolabeled tracer activity and the patient's weight. SUVmax will be calculated using an average of 3 measurements from 3 volumes of interest (5mm3) introduced in the prosthetic region at equal distances from each other. The prosthetic valve-to-background ratio will be calculated by dividing the prosthetic valve SUV max by the atrial blood SUVmax.

    Measured: 3 months after TAVR

  2. Differences in radiolabeled tracer uptake grade in the prosthetic and periprosthetic areas between the Edwards valve versus the CoreValve valve.

    Differences in radiolabeled tracer uptake pattern with different valves: Edwards THV vs CoreValve THV

    Measured: 3 months after TAVR

  3. Correlation between radiolabeled tracer uptake grade and time from TAVR

    Relationship between radiolabeled tracer uptake and time from the procedure

    Measured: 3 months after TAVR

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Sep 2018
  2. Study start9 Nov 2018
  3. Primary completion1 Mar 2022
  4. Study completion1 Mar 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
30 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03683355
Sponsor's protocol ID
COUNT
Acronym
COUNT
Status last verified
Mar 2026
First submitted
11 Sep 2018
Last updated
24 Mar 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Vongpatanasin W, Hillis LD, Lange RA. Prosthetic heart valves. N Engl J Med. 1996 Aug 8;335(6):407-16. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199608083350607. No abstract available.

    PubMed 8676934
  • Hoen B, Duval X. Clinical practice. Infective endocarditis. N Engl J Med. 2013 Apr 11;368(15):1425-33. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1206782. No abstract available.

    PubMed 23574121
  • Wang A, Pappas P, Anstrom KJ, Abrutyn E, Fowler VG Jr, Hoen B, Miro JM, Corey GR, Olaison L, Stafford JA, Mestres CA, Cabell CH; International Collaboration on Endocarditis Investigators. The use and effect of surgical therapy for prosthetic valve infective endocarditis: a propensity analysis of a multicenter, international cohort. Am Heart J. 2005 Nov;150(5):1086-91. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2005.01.023.

    PubMed 16291003
  • Akowuah EF, Davies W, Oliver S, Stephens J, Riaz I, Zadik P, Cooper G. Prosthetic valve endocarditis: early and late outcome following medical or surgical treatment. Heart. 2003 Mar;89(3):269-72. doi: 10.1136/heart.89.3.269.

    PubMed 12591827
  • Edwards MB, Ratnatunga CP, Dore CJ, Taylor KM. Thirty-day mortality and long-term survival following surgery for prosthetic endocarditis: a study from the UK heart valve registry. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 1998 Aug;14(2):156-64. doi: 10.1016/s1010-7940(98)00148-1.

    PubMed 9755001
  • Tornos P, Almirante B, Olona M, Permanyer G, Gonzalez T, Carballo J, Pahissa A, Soler-Soler J. Clinical outcome and long-term prognosis of late prosthetic valve endocarditis: a 20-year experience. Clin Infect Dis. 1997 Mar;24(3):381-6. doi: 10.1093/clinids/24.3.381.

    PubMed 9114189
  • Grover FL, Cohen DJ, Oprian C, Henderson WG, Sethi G, Hammermeister KE. Determinants of the occurrence of and survival from prosthetic valve endocarditis. Experience of the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study on Valvular Heart Disease. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1994 Aug;108(2):207-14.

    PubMed 8041168
  • Smith CR, Leon MB, Mack MJ, Miller DC, Moses JW, Svensson LG, Tuzcu EM, Webb JG, Fontana GP, Makkar RR, Williams M, Dewey T, Kapadia S, Babaliaros V, Thourani VH, Corso P, Pichard AD, Bavaria JE, Herrmann HC, Akin JJ, Anderson WN, Wang D, Pocock SJ; PARTNER Trial Investigators. Transcatheter versus surgical aortic-valve replacement in high-risk patients. N Engl J Med. 2011 Jun 9;364(23):2187-98. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1103510. Epub 2011 Jun 5.

    PubMed 21639811
  • Adams DH, Popma JJ, Reardon MJ, Yakubov SJ, Coselli JS, Deeb GM, Gleason TG, Buchbinder M, Hermiller J Jr, Kleiman NS, Chetcuti S, Heiser J, Merhi W, Zorn G, Tadros P, Robinson N, Petrossian G, Hughes GC, Harrison JK, Conte J, Maini B, Mumtaz M, Chenoweth S, Oh JK; U.S. CoreValve Clinical Investigators. Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement with a self-expanding prosthesis. N Engl J Med. 2014 May 8;370(19):1790-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1400590. Epub 2014 Mar 29.

    PubMed 24678937
  • Leon MB, Smith CR, Mack MJ, Makkar RR, Svensson LG, Kodali SK, Thourani VH, Tuzcu EM, Miller DC, Herrmann HC, Doshi D, Cohen DJ, Pichard AD, Kapadia S, Dewey T, Babaliaros V, Szeto WY, Williams MR, Kereiakes D, Zajarias A, Greason KL, Whisenant BK, Hodson RW, Moses JW, Trento A, Brown DL, Fearon WF, Pibarot P, Hahn RT, Jaber WA, Anderson WN, Alu MC, Webb JG; PARTNER 2 Investigators. Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients. N Engl J Med. 2016 Apr 28;374(17):1609-20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1514616. Epub 2016 Apr 2.

    PubMed 27040324
  • Reardon MJ, Van Mieghem NM, Popma JJ, Kleiman NS, Sondergaard L, Mumtaz M, Adams DH, Deeb GM, Maini B, Gada H, Chetcuti S, Gleason T, Heiser J, Lange R, Merhi W, Oh JK, Olsen PS, Piazza N, Williams M, Windecker S, Yakubov SJ, Grube E, Makkar R, Lee JS, Conte J, Vang E, Nguyen H, Chang Y, Mugglin AS, Serruys PW, Kappetein AP; SURTAVI Investigators. Surgical or Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients. N Engl J Med. 2017 Apr 6;376(14):1321-1331. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1700456. Epub 2017 Mar 17.

    PubMed 28304219
  • Baumgartner H, Falk V, Bax JJ, De Bonis M, Hamm C, Holm PJ, Iung B, Lancellotti P, Lansac E, Rodriguez Munoz D, Rosenhek R, Sjogren J, Tornos Mas P, Vahanian A, Walther T, Wendler O, Windecker S, Zamorano JL; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2017 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease. Eur Heart J. 2017 Sep 21;38(36):2739-2791. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehx391. No abstract available.

    PubMed 28886619
  • Regueiro A, Linke A, Latib A, Ihlemann N, Urena M, Walther T, Husser O, Herrmann HC, Nombela-Franco L, Cheema AN, Le Breton H, Stortecky S, Kapadia S, Bartorelli AL, Sinning JM, Amat-Santos I, Munoz-Garcia A, Lerakis S, Gutierrez-Ibanes E, Abdel-Wahab M, Tchetche D, Testa L, Eltchaninoff H, Livi U, Castillo JC, Jilaihawi H, Webb JG, Barbanti M, Kodali S, de Brito FS Jr, Ribeiro HB, Miceli A, Fiorina C, Dato GM, Rosato F, Serra V, Masson JB, Wijeysundera HC, Mangione JA, Ferreira MC, Lima VC, Carvalho LA, Abizaid A, Marino MA, Esteves V, Andrea JC, Giannini F, Messika-Zeitoun D, Himbert D, Kim WK, Pellegrini C, Auffret V, Nietlispach F, Pilgrim T, Durand E, Lisko J, Makkar RR, Lemos PA, Leon MB, Puri R, San Roman A, Vahanian A, Sondergaard L, Mangner N, Rodes-Cabau J. Association Between Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement and Subsequent Infective Endocarditis and In-Hospital Death. JAMA. 2016 Sep 13;316(10):1083-92. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.12347.

    PubMed 27623462
  • Habib G, Lancellotti P, Antunes MJ, Bongiorni MG, Casalta JP, Del Zotti F, Dulgheru R, El Khoury G, Erba PA, Iung B, Miro JM, Mulder BJ, Plonska-Gosciniak E, Price S, Roos-Hesselink J, Snygg-Martin U, Thuny F, Tornos Mas P, Vilacosta I, Zamorano JL; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of infective endocarditis: The Task Force for the Management of Infective Endocarditis of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Endorsed by: European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM). Eur Heart J. 2015 Nov 21;36(44):3075-3128. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehv319. Epub 2015 Aug 29. No abstract available.

    PubMed 26320109
  • Gomes A, Glaudemans AWJM, Touw DJ, van Melle JP, Willems TP, Maass AH, Natour E, Prakken NHJ, Borra RJH, van Geel PP, Slart RHJA, van Assen S, Sinha B. Diagnostic value of imaging in infective endocarditis: a systematic review. Lancet Infect Dis. 2017 Jan;17(1):e1-e14. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30141-4. Epub 2016 Oct 18.

    PubMed 27746163

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Infective Endocarditis, run by Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Quebec at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Radiolabeled tracer uptake grade (intense, moderate, mild or absent) in the prosthetic and periprosthetic areas. (time frame: 3 months after TAVR). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03683355, which also lists 17 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Mar 2026.

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