Role of transesophageal echocardiography in right-sided endocarditis

Investigations performed over the last few years support the invaluable usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of left-sided endocarditis. Whether this can be applied to right-sided endocarditis remains speculative. Patients at risk of having right-sided endocarditis can be classified into three different and well-defined groups: (1) intravenous drug abusers; (2) patients with pacemakers; and (3) patients with congenital heart diseases. In this article, we review the different value of transesophageal echocardiography in right-sided endocarditis depending on the subset of patients considered.