Usefulness of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography in the assessment of infective endocarditis: initial experience.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to provide an initial description of the usefulness of real-time 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiography when evaluating patients with infective endocarditis.


METHODS
For this purpose, we describe 3 cases in which the usefulness of real-time 3D echocardiography is shown.


RESULTS
Better definition of the morphologic characteristics of the vegetation and valvular apparatus was achieved with real-time 3D echocardiography. Furthermore, the information provided by the real-time 3D echocardiogram to the surgical team was accurate and direct because it was not based on detailed verbal information for performing a 3D mental reconstruction but was a simple image similar to what would be found in the operating room. In all cases, the information provided by the real-time 3D echocardiography was confirmed during surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
Real-time 3D echocardiography is an important tool for aiding diagnosis or for fine tuning a suspected diagnosis when traditional echocardiography is not completely clear for both medical and surgical decision making.
Pérez de Isla
Leopoldo
L
Laboratorio de Ecocardiografía, Instituto Cardiovascular, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
Zamorano
José
J
Malangatana
Gracieta
G
Almería
Carlos
C
Rodrigo
José Luis
JL
Cordeiro
Pedro
P
Macaya
Carlos
C
D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged