Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE), formerly known as marantic endocarditis, is a rare condition characterized by sterile vegetations on cardiac valves and is often associated with hypercoagulable states such as adenocarcinoma. We describe a patient who presented with multiple embolic cerebrovascular accidents, ultimately found to be secondary to NBTE, which served as the initial manifestation of previously undiagnosed advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This case underscores the importance of considering NBTE in patients with multifocal embolic infarcts, particularly when blood cultures are negative, echocardiography reveals valvular abnormalities without evidence of infection, and clinical suspicion for an underlying malignancy is present.
M. Harris (Wed,) studied this question.