Left atrial endocarditis as a rare complication of mitral valve endocarditis: a clinical case
Ali Hamadanchi1, Wolfgang Bothe, Alexander Pfeil
1Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Jena, Erlanger Allee 101, D-07747, Jena, Germany.
Insights
Atrial endocarditis is a rare complication of mitral valve endocarditis. Early recognition via echocardiography, especially mural vegetations in severe regurgitant jets, is crucial for timely intervention.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Infective endocarditis (IE) presents complex challenges in diagnosis and management.
- Atrial endocarditis is an uncommon but critical complication of mitral valve endocarditis.
Observation:
- A 48-year-old male presented with symptoms including fever, jaundice, and edema.
- Physical examination revealed peripheral stigmata of IE and a holosystolic murmur.
- Echocardiography showed severe mitral regurgitation due to IE and atrial septal endocarditis.
Findings:
- Blood cultures confirmed *Streptococcus oralis* infection.
- The patient underwent minimally invasive surgery for resection of atrial mass, mitral valve repair, and prosthesis implantation.
- Histological findings confirmed the echocardiographic diagnosis.
Implications:
- Comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation is vital for diagnosing IE complications.
- Mural vegetations should be actively sought in mitral valve endocarditis cases.
- Prompt surgical intervention may be necessary for extensive infective tissue burden.
Background:
Infective Endocarditis (IE) is considered as a multifaceted problem in every aspect from etiology and presentation to diagnosis and management. Early recognition of this disease and especially its complications, remain a critical task for the cardiologist. Atrial endocarditis is a rare and sometimes unrecognized complication of mitral valve endocarditis.
Case Presentation:
We present a 48 year-old male patient who was admitted to our clinic because of recent onset of malaise, fever, jaundice and peripheral edema. Important physical findings were peripheral stigmata of IE in addition to holosystolic murmur over the left sternal border. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiophy revealed a severe eccentric MR due to a flailed posterior mitral valve caused by IE. The presence of atrial septal endocarditis caused by jet streaming was also observed. Blood culture was positive for streptococcus oralis and antibiotic therapy was immediately initiated. Considering the large burden of infective tissue, the patient was planned for an early surgical intervention. A minimally invasive resection of the atrial mass, direct closure of the defect, resection of the diseased portions of mitral leaflets and implantation of a biological mitral valve prosthesis was performed. Intra-operative and histological findings confirmed provisional diagnosis by echocardiography.
Conclusions:
Together with comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation, attention should be placed on mural vegetations and excluded among all cases of mitral valve endocarditis, particularly those with severe eccentric regurgitant jets.
Related Concept Videos
Mitral Stenosis I: Introduction
Mitral Stenosis II: Clinical features and Diagnostic Tests
Endocarditis I: Introduction
Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis
Mitral Stenosis III: Medical Management
Mitral Regurgitation I: Introduction

