[Contribution of sectional imaging, echography and MRI, for the diagnosis of splenic infarction in Osler endocarditis. Apropos of a case].

A case of symptomatic splenic infarct in an 11 year-old girl suffering from bacterial endocarditis is reported; this occurrence is a rare and serious condition in this disease. The diagnosis of haemorrhagic splenic infarct was suggested by ultrasonography and confirmed by MRI. No splenic abscess developed and this was correlated to a rapid improvement of the clinical state following an antibiotic treatment only. The authors discuss the role of sonography and MR in the etiologic diagnosis of splenic involvement in patients suffering from bacterial endocarditis.