ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the imaging features of the cerebral complications of infective endocarditis (IE)and the evolution process of infective cerebral infarction.Methods The clinical and imaging data from 5 patients diagnosed as IE with neurological complications were retrospectively and comprehensively reviewed,so that the imaging features of cerebral complications and infective cerebral infarctions were summarized.Results Among the 5 cases,3 showed multiple acute infarctions,including 2 massive ones.All the 5 cases showed multiple hemorrhagic lesions at different stages.The infarction and hemorrhage were mostly located at the corticalGmedullary junction.1 case of subarachnoid hemorrhage and 1 case of meningitis were also observed.Two massive infarctions mentioned above showed irregular patchy shape,which evolved into cerebral abscesses after 1 2 and 1 5 days of neurological symptoms showing up,then abscesses started shrinking after 33 and 3 1 days,respectively.Conclusion MRI can accurately reflect the features of cerebral complications of IE and the evolution process of infective cerebral infarctions,which provides evidences for physicians to make correct diagnoses and the treatment plans.