Infective endocarditis continues to be a significant diagnostic and therapeutic problem. During the last two decades, transthoracic echocardiography, and more recently, transesophageal echocardiography have been used in patients with the clinical syndrome of endocarditis to detect vegetations and assess the extent of valvular damage. Certain echocardiographic findings have important prognostic implications and can help determine the timing of surgical intervention. This paper will review the role of echocardiography in the evaluation and management of patients with infective endocarditis.
1. Von Reyn DF, Levy BS, Arbeit RD, et al. Infective endocarditis: an analysis based on strict case definitions. Ann Int Med1981;94:505-518.
2.
2. Dillon JC, Feigenbaum H, Konecke LL, et al. Echocardiographic manifestations of valvular vegetations. Am Heart J1973;86:698-704.
3.
3. Robbins MJ, Frater RWM, Soeiro R, et al. Influence of vegetation size on clinical outcome of right-sided infective endocarditis. Am J Med1986;80:165-171.
4.
4. Mugge A, Daniel WG, Frank G, Lichtlen PR. Echocardiography in infective endocarditis: reassessment of prognostic implications of vegetation size determined by the transthoracic and the transesophageal approach. J Am Coll Cardiol1989;14:631-638.
6. Daniel WG, Mugge A, Martin RP, et al. Improvement in the diagnosis of abscesses associated with endocarditis by transesophageal echocardiography. N Engl J Med1991;324:795-800.
7.
7. Bansal RC, Graham BM, Jutzy KR, et al. Left ventricular outflow tract to left atrial communication secondary to rupture of mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa in infective endocarditis: diagnosis by transesophageal echocardiography and color flow imaging. J Am Coll Cardiol1990;15:499-504.
8.
8. Shakudo M, Eng AK, Applegate PM, et al. Visualization of mitral valve aneurysm by transesophageal echocardiography. Echocardiography1990;7:551-554.
9.
9. Bansal RC, Chandrasekaran K, Karalis DG, et al. Transesophageal echocardiographic recognition of subaortic complications of aortic valve endocarditis. Circulation1991;84:11-129.
10.
10. Karalis DG, Bansal RC, Hauck AJ, et al. Transesophageal echocardiographic recognition of subaortic complications in aortic valve endocarditis: clinical and surgical implications. Circulaticn1992;86:353-362.
11.
11. Fox IS, Spence AM, Wheelis RF, Healey LA. Cerebral embolism in Libman-Sacks endocarditis. Neurarology1980;30:487-491.
12.
12. Estevez CM, Corya BC. Serial echocardiographic abnormalities in nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis of the mitral valve. Chest1976;69:801-804.
13.
13. Ehrie M, Morgan AP, Moore FD, O'Connor NE. Endocarditis with the indwelling balloon-tipped pulmonary artery catheter in burn patients. J Tranuna1978;18: 664-666.
14.
14. Khamashta MA, Cervera R, Asherson RA, et al. Association of antibodies against phospholipids with heart valve disease in systemic lupus erythematosus. Lanet1990;335:1541-1541.
15.
15. Shub C, Tajik AJ, Seward JB, et al. Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas: two-dimensional echocardiographic recognition. Mayo Clin Proc1981;56:629-633.
16.
16. Bansal RC, Shah PM. Usefulness of echo-Doppler in the management of patients with valvular heart disease. Curr Probl Cardiol1989;14:283-350.
17.
17. Perry GJ, Helmcke F, Nanda NC, et al. Evaluation of aortic insufficiency by Doppler color flow mapping. J Am Coll Cardiol1987;9:952-959.
18.
18. Bansal RC, Shah PM. Transesophageal echocardiography. Curr Probi Cardiol1990;15:643-720.
19.
19. Helmcke F, Nanda NC, Hsiung MC, et al. Color Doppler assessment of mitral regurgitation with orthogonal planes. Circulation1987;75:175-183.
