Prediction of rapid versus prolonged healing of infective endocarditis by monitoring vegetation size.

The diagnostic value of transesophageal echocardiography in monitoring the clinical course has been evaluated in 83 patients with echocardiographic evidence of infective endocarditis. A total of 103 vegetations attached to the aortic or mitral valves were detected by use of the transesophageal approach. The patients were monitored for a mean of 74 weeks and underwent a minimum of two consecutive transesophageal echocardiographic examinations. Group A included patients with increasing or remaining constant size of vegetation (8.2 +/- 1.5 to 11.2 mm, p less than 0.05) during 4 to 8 weeks of antimicrobial therapy, whereas group B was formed by patients with decreasing vegetation size (8.3 +/- …