ObjectivesThe goals of this pictorial essay are: (1) to set out a multislice computed tomography (MSCT) imaging protocol to assess infective endocarditis (IE); (2) to give an MSCT overview of valvular and peri-valvular involvement during IE; (3) to give a CT overview of septic embolism and infectious pseudoaneurysms during IE.MethodsMSCT acquisition protocols to assess IE are performed in two different phases: the first acquisition, under electrocardiography (ECG) gating, covers the cardiac structures during first-pass iodine injection; the second acquisition covers the thorax, abdomen, pelvic and cerebral regions.ResultsValvular and peri-valvular lesions during IE are: vegetation—a hypodense, homogeneous, irregular mass on a valve or endocardial structure; perforation—a defect in the leaflet; valvular aneurysm—loss of the homogenous curvature of the leaflet; valvular thickening; peri-valvular abscess; pseudoaneurysm; fistula and disinsertion of a prosthetic valve. Extra-cardiac location could involve all organs.ConclusionsMSCT can be considered as a useful complement in visualising the cardiac lesions of IE if echocardiography is inconclusive. MSCT is the only imaging modality that provides assessment of valvular and peri-valvular involvement, extra-cardiac lesions, and non-invasive evaluation of the coronary artery anatomy, simultaneously.Main Messages• MSCT provides assessment of coronary anatomy, cardiac and extra-cardiac lesions.• MSCT represents an alternative to echocardiography during IE.• Surgical valve replacement is usually required if vegetation is >10 mm.• Peri-valvular extension (abscesses, pseudoaneurysm and fistulae) required surgical treatment.

BackgroundGender-specific differences in cardiovascular risk are well known, and current evidence supports an existing role of endothelium in these differences. The purpose of this study was to assess non invasively coronary endothelial function in male and female young volunteers by myocardial blood flow (MBF) measurement using coronary sinus (CS) flow quantification by velocity encoded cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) at rest and during cold pressor test (CPT).MethodsTwenty-four healthy volunteers (12 men, 12 women) underwent CMR in a 3 Tesla MR imager. Coronary sinus flow was measured at rest and during CPT using non breath-hold velocity encoded phase contrast cine-CMR. Myocardial function and morphology were acquired using a cine steady-state free precession sequence.ResultsAt baseline, mean MBF was 0.63 ± 0.23 mL·g-1·min-1 in men and 0.79 ± 0.21 mL·g-1·min-1 in women. During CPT, the rate pressure product in men significantly increased by 49 ± 36% (p < 0.0001) and in women by 52 ± 22% (p < 0.0001). MBF increased significantly in both men and women by 0.22 ± 0.19 mL·g-1·min-1 (p = 0.0022) and by 0.73 ± 0.43 mL·g-1·min-1 (p = 0.0001), respectively. The increase in MBF was significantly higher in women than in men (p = 0.0012).ConclusionCMR coronary sinus flow quantification for measuring myocardial blood flow revealed a higher response of MBF to CPT in women than in men. This finding may reflect gender differences in endothelial-dependent vasodilatation in these young subjects. This non invasive rest/stress protocol may become helpful to study endothelial function in normal physiology and in physiopathology.