Vegetation image in fluoroscopy

Abstract

Imaging of the presence of vegetation is critical in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. Guidelines recommend echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) and nuclear imaging methods for this purpose. In this paper, a case of fungal endocarditis is presented. Our case was a 45-yearold male patient who was connected to mechanical ventilator as a result of industrial accident and followed with central venous catheter. The patient had no previous history of valve disease. Echocardiography was performed on the patient with recurrent fever and dyspnea. Antifungal treatment was started for the patient who was diagnosed with fungal endocarditis, but valve surgery was planned since vegetation grew despite the treatment. During preoperative coronary angiography, vegetation on the aortic valve could also be monitored by fluoroscopy. The patient was operated four weeks after diagnosis and was discharged eight weeks after operation with complete recovery. In our literature review, there were no reports regarding vegetation monitored under fluoroscopy. According to the data we obtained, this paper is the first report showing that a vegetation is seen by fluoroscopy.