Role of Echocardiographic Findings in Patients with Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Rapid diagnosis, effective treatment, and early diagnosis of complications are necessary for good patient outcoıne. The variability in the eli nical presentation of IE requires diagnostic criteria which are both sensitive for disease detection and specific for its exclusion. With the Duke criteria it has been realised that echocardiographic findings carries high importance in the diagnosis of lE. Four typical echocardiographic findings which are vegetation, abscess dehiscence of presthetic valve, new valvular regurgitation, should be looked for in patients having suspicion of lE. In association with elinical symptoms these echocardiographic findings are the most powerful predictors of lE. Different studies have demonstrated that echocardiographic examination is not only useful in prompt and definite diagnos is but also it is necessary to determine effective treatment and to detect possible complications. The characteristic features of echocardiographic findings are closely related to the prognosis. During the assessment of echocardiographic predictors, detection of abcesses, fistulae, prosthetic valve dehiscence, obstructive vegetations, flail leaflets and heart failure are of high importance. Most of these complications cannot resolve with medical therapy alone, and surgical intervention can be needed. In brief, echocardiographic findings are of high importance in the diagnosis of lE, in determining the therapy which should be chosen, as well as in predicting morbidity and mortality.