Echocardiography in infective endocarditis.

Two cases of infective endocarditis are reported. In both, vegetations on the cardiac valves characteristic of endocarditis were documented by echocardiography and confirmed at surgery in one of them. The various features of vegetative endocarditis on the echocardiogram are described. Differentiation of these echoes from those produced by other morbid states is discussed. Echocardiography is considered a useful non-invasive technique in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. Cardiac surgery is usually found to be necessary in addition to medical therapy, when echoes characteristic of vegetative endocarditis are recorded by echocardiography.