Horowitz M S, Smith L G
Arch Intern Med. 1977 Jun;137(6):788-90.
Vegetative endocarditis on the prolapsing mitral valve can be diagnosed with an echocardiogram and the response to therapy can be followed with this technique. A dense mass of fuzzy echoes was noted on the prolapsing posterior leaflet of an echocardiogram from a patient with endocarditis. Three months after the initiation of antibiotic therapy, the mass of echoes had disappeared and was replaced by a dense linear echo, suggesting fibrosis of the part of the mitral valve that had been infected previously. Persistence of the echocardiographic evidence of endocarditis, despite negative blood cultures, may indicate persistence of the risk of peripheral embolization.
二尖瓣脱垂并发的赘生性心内膜炎可通过超声心动图进行诊断，并且该技术可用于追踪治疗反应。一名心内膜炎患者的超声心动图显示，在脱垂的二尖瓣后叶上发现一团密集的模糊回声。抗生素治疗开始三个月后，这团回声消失，取而代之的是一条密集的线性回声，提示先前受感染的二尖瓣部分出现纤维化。尽管血培养结果为阴性，但心内膜炎的超声心动图证据持续存在，可能表明外周栓塞风险持续存在。
