Imaging techniques for diagnosis of infective endocarditis

Acute Infective Endocarditis

“…The presence of an oscillating intracardiac mass, either on a valve, in the path of a regurgitant jet, or on implanted material, is the classic finding, though abscess or new partial dehiscence of a prosthetic valve also meets diagnostic criteria [36]. Other findings associated with IE include aneurysm, fistula, and leaflet perforation [37]. …”

“…Cardiac CT and MRI have been reported to diagnose complications of IE, including aortic root abscesses and arteriovenous fistulae [37]. Current limitations to these modalities include difficulties in evaluating valve motion, spatial resolution, and time required to acquire images [37].…”

“…Current limitations to these modalities include difficulties in evaluating valve motion, spatial resolution, and time required to acquire images [37]. A recent study of cardiac multislice CT showed that its test characteristics were similar to TEE for the diagnosis of IE in 37 patients, 29 of whom underwent cardiac surgery, though all 4 leaflet perforations were missed with CT [43].…”

Indoor Navigation for a Humanoid Robot Using a View Sequence

“…70 Echocardiography must be performed rapidly, as soon as IE is suspected. The utility of both modes of investigation is diminished when applied indiscriminately, however, and appropriate application in the context of simple clinical criteria improves diagnostic yield 71 (Figure 1).…”

Diagnosis of infective endocarditis

“…The original diagnostic criteria for infective endocarditis proposed by von Reyn, based on clinical and microbiological features, have now been superseded by the Duke criteria, which emphasise the role of echocardiography, the key imaging tool for both diagnosis and assessing prognosis 5 – 7. Transthoracic echocardiography is a rapid and non-invasive investigation with high specificity (98%) but low sensitivity (60%) for the detection of vegetations.…”