Multimodality Imaging in Infective Endocarditis: An Imaging Team Within the Endocarditis Team.

Multimodality Imaging in Infective Endocarditis: An Imaging Team Within the Endocarditis Team. Circulation. 2019 Nov 19;140(21):1753-1765 Authors: Erba PA, Pizzi MN, Roque A, Salaun E, Lancellotti P, Tornos P, Habib G Abstract Infective endocarditis (IE) is a complex disease with cardiac involvement and multiorgan complications. Its prognosis depends on prompt diagnosis that leads to an aggressive therapeutic management combining antibiotic therapy and early cardiac surgery when indicated. However, IE diagnosis always poses a challenge, and echocardiography remains diagnostically imperfect in cases of prosthetic valve IE or cardiac implantable electronic device infection. In recent years, other imaging modalities (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear imaging) have experienced significant technical improvements, and their application to the detection of cardiac and extracardiac IE-related lesions seems to be a strategic way forward in the management of patients with suspected IE. However, the scientific evidence in the literature remains limited; current guidelines address the use of the multimodality imaging in the field of IE with caution; the incremental value of each technique and their combinations is debated; and their use varies across countries. Despite these limitations, healthcare providers and surgeons should be aware of the possibilities offered by the multimodal imaging approach when appropriate. Here,...
Source: Circulation - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Circulation Source Type: research