This case highlights the utility of combined TTE and TEE in accurately diagnosing complex and extensive complications of aortic valve endocarditis, such as large abscesses causing outflow obstruction.
Combined TTE/TEE may aid detection of extensive aortic abscesses in endocarditis; single case leaves open need for prospective validation.
Abscesses are an important and potentially devastating complication of aortic valve endocarditis. The extension of the infectious process from the aortic valve to surrounding tissue can occur in different directions. This case report describes a 28-year-old man in whom the abscess of the aortic annulus was very large, causing a moderate aortic systolic obstruction, and also involved the left ventricular inferior wall. The diagnosis was provided by a combination of TTE and TEE examination and was confirmed by cardiac surgery.
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Iarussi et al. (2003) studied this question.
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