Echocardiographic diagnosis of bicuspid aortic valve combined with infective endocarditis / 中国医学影像技术

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the value of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3D-TEE) in diagnosis of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) combined with infective endocarditis (IE). Methods: Ultrasonic data of 53 BAV combined with IE patients were retrospective reviewed. The ultrasonic findings of BAV combined with IE included vegetation, leaflet perforation, abscess and fistula. The ultrasonic features and diagnostic value of TTE and 3D-TEE were evaluated taken surgical findings as the gold standards. Results: The sensitivity and positive predictive value of 3D-TEE were both higher than those of TTE in detecting vegetation, leaflet perforation, abscess and fistula (100% vs.90.20%, 96.87% vs.90.62%, 92.86% vs.67.86%, 94.12% vs.70.59% and 100% vs.95.83%, 100% vs.93.55%, 96.30% vs.86.36%, 100% vs.85.71%, all P<0.05). Conclusion: The echocardiographic detection rate of BAV combined with IE is very high. 3D-TEE has better visibility and higher spatial resolution than TTE, therefore having higher sensitivity and positive predictive value in diagnosis of BAV combined with IE.