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Perivalvular abscesses due to Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis comparison with Streptococcus viridans endocarditis

O Pachirat1, V Klungboonkrong

  • 1Division of Cardiovascular Disease and Internal Medicine, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

Abstract

Insights

Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis (IE) cases show higher rates of perivalvular abscesses and mortality than Streptococcus viridans IE. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) offers greater value in detecting abscesses in S. aureus IE.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Perivalvular abscesses are serious complications of infective endocarditis (IE).
  • The comparative prevalence and detection methods for abscesses in Staphylococcus aureus (SA) IE versus Streptococcus viridans (SV) IE are not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the prevalence of perivalvular abscesses in SA IE versus SV IE.
  • To evaluate the diagnostic performance of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in detecting these abscesses.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective analysis of 243 IE episodes diagnosed by Duke criteria between 1988 and 1993.
  • Comparison of TTE and TEE for abscess detection in patients who underwent both imaging modalities and had surgical or autopsy confirmation.

Main Results:

  • SA IE cases had higher rates of prosthetic valve involvement and perivalvular abscesses compared to SV IE.
  • TEE demonstrated a higher incremental value in detecting abscesses in SA IE (21%) than in SV IE (0%).
  • Hospital mortality was significantly higher in SA IE (13%) compared to SV IE (2%).

Conclusions:

  • Staphylococcus aureus IE is associated with a greater incidence of perivalvular abscesses and higher in-hospital mortality than Streptococcus viridans IE.
  • Transesophageal echocardiography is crucial for the accurate detection of perivalvular abscesses in S. aureus IE, necessitating its early and repeated use.

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