Role of echocardiography in diagnosis and management of endocarditis

Echocardiography plays an increasingly important role in diagnosis and management of patients with infective and noninfective endocarditis. Significant changes to diagnostic criteria for endocarditis have occurred, and there are evolving trends associated with an older population presenting with endocarditis, greater numbers of patients with prosthetic heart valves and complex congenital heart disease, and an exponential increase in the numbers of patients eligible for pacing and defibrillator implants. The diagnostic accuracy of echocardiography has been enhanced by developments such as multiplanar transesophageal probes, real-time three-dimensional echocardiography, and intracardiac echocardiography. Standard echocardiography techniques now define the need for and timing of surgical intervention in endocarditis and may help determine the duration of treatment and follow-up after diagnosis.