[Bacterial endocarditis in clinical and echocardiographic observations]

Twenty-one patients with infectious endocarditis are reported. The diagnosis was based on finding of at least three clinical symptoms and signs, including systemic manifestations, cardiovascular signs such as the appearance of a new or changing symptoms of cardiac failure, episodes of embolism and abnormalities in laboratory investigations and features of valvular involvement by the inflammatory process, principal changing endocardium image was evidence of an active inflammatory process. The aetiological factors, diagnostic difficulties, therapeutic results and the usefulness of echocardiography in the diagnosis of infectious endocarditis are discussed.