Endocarditis

Abstract

Endocarditis can be a life-threatening infection of the cardiac valves. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is vital to minimize complications. The diagnosis of endocarditis is most often made with positive blood cultures and typical echocardiographic features of vegetations and valve destruction. Therefore, the echocardiogram plays a key role in diagnosis and management of endocarditis. Understanding and recognizing endocarditis by the echocardiographer is critical to successful management of this disease.