Echocardiography demonstrated that the systolic motion of abnormal echoes correlated well with the anatomic location of aortic valve vegetations in 9 patients.
Observational (n=9)
Can echocardiography localize aortic valve vegetations based on the motion of abnormal echoes during systole in patients with documented vegetations?
Echocardiography can help localize aortic valve vegetations based on systolic motion patterns, though small vegetations (<5 mm) may be missed.
Nine patients with anatomically documented vegetations on one or more cusps of the aortic valve had echocardiograms in which abnormal echoes were associated with the aortic leaflet echoes. The motion of the abnormal echoes during systole correlated well with the anatomic location of vegetations: a vegetation on the right coronary cusp moved anteriorly with systole while a vegetation on the noncoronary cusp moved posteriorly during systole. Our data, although inconclusive, suggest that echoes from a vegetation on the left coronary cusp maintain a mid-aortic position throughout the cardiac cycle. The echocardiographic appearance of vegetations is not specific, but in the setting of septicemia, dense mobile echoes in the region of the aortic valve are strongly suggestive of vegetation. A normal echocardiographic appearance of the aortic valve does not exclude the possibility that vegetation is present, especially if the growth is less than 5 mm in size.
Hirschfeld et al. (Sun,) conducted a observational in Aortic valve vegetations (n=9). Echocardiography was evaluated on Correlation of abnormal echo motion during systole with anatomic location of vegetations. Echocardiography demonstrated that the systolic motion of abnormal echoes correlated well with the anatomic location of aortic valve vegetations in 9 patients.
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