Abscesses of the Valve Rings of the Heart, a Frequent but Not Well Recognized Complication of Acute Bacterial Endocarditis

Abscesses of the valve rings of the heart were encountered at autopsy in 86 per cent of patients with acute bacterial endocarditis who had received antibiotic therapy. The abscesses, which appeared to arise from mycotic aneurysms in the valve rings, represented in most instances the only persistent focus of acute inflammation. They may account in part for the unsatisfactory results in the treatment of acute bacterial endocarditis, and their frequent occurrence suggests a relationship to antibiotic therapy.