Correlation of echocardiographic and surgical findings in acute bacterial endocarditis

From January 1979 to April 1983, 72 patients (pts) with bacterial endocarditis were treated. During their first stay in hospital 36 of them (age range: 23-67 years) underwent cardiac surgery because of severe congestive heart failure, unsuccessful antibiotic treatment of the infection and/or embolic events. In all these cases cardiac surgery was performed without preoperative catheterization. Surgery was recommended on the basis of clinical as well as M-mode and 2D echocardiographic findings. In 32 of the 36 pts the echocardiographic study completely predicted the surgical findings (23x the aortic valve, 1x the mitral valve, 1x the tricuspid valve, 5x the mitral and aortic valve, 1x the aortic valve and a VSD and 1x the triscuspid valve and a VSD were involved). The preoperative echocardiographic diagnosis was incomplete in 4 of the 36 pts. One aortic aneurysm, one aortic root abscess and 2x vegetations on the mitral valve were not detected by echocardiography. Surgery was recommended in these 4 pts because of additional aortic valve endocarditis proven by echocardiography. We conclude that combined M-mode and 2D echocardiography allows the accurate prediction of morphological alterations of the heart in the setting of acute bacterial endocarditis. Thus cardiac surgery can be recommended in pts with acute bacterial endocarditis without preoperative heart catheterization and coronary angiography.