Infective endocarditis: Beyond the usual tests

Nkemdilim Mgbojikwe; Steven R Jones; Thorsten M Leucker; Daniel J Brotman

doi:10.3949/ccjm.86a.18120

Infective endocarditis: Beyond the usual tests

Cleve Clin J Med. 2019 Aug;86(8):559-567. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.86a.18120.

Authors

Nkemdilim Mgbojikwe^{1

2}, Steven R Jones^{3

4}, Thorsten M Leucker^{5

6}, Daniel J Brotman^{7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
² Assistant Director of Clinical Operations, Hospitalist Program, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA. nmgboji1@jhmi.edu.
³ Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Director, Inpatient Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁵ Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁶ Director of Basic and Translational Vascular Biology Research within the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁷ Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁸ Director, Hospitalist Program, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.

PMID: 31385793
DOI: 10.3949/ccjm.86a.18120

Abstract

Infective endocarditis remains a diagnostic challenge. Although echocardiography is still the mainstay imaging test, it misses up to 30% of cases. Newer imaging tests--4-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT), fluorodeoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and leukocyte scintigraphy--are increasingly used as alternative or adjunct tests for select patients. They improve the sensitivity of clinical diagnosis of infective endocarditis when appropriately used, especially in the setting of a prosthetic valve.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Echocardiography
Endocarditis / complications
Endocarditis / diagnosis*
Endocarditis / diagnostic imaging
Four-Dimensional Computed Tomography
Heart / diagnostic imaging
Humans
Intracranial Embolism / diagnostic imaging
Intracranial Embolism / etiology
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Neuroimaging
Positron-Emission Tomography