A 38-year-old Hispanic woman with paradoxical embolism and Libman-Sacks endocarditis involving the tricuspid valve.
Libman-Sacks endocarditis is a well-described clinical entity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Transesophageal echocardiography is the definitive imaging modality used in assessing cardiac valvular involvement in this disease process. Herein we describe a young Hispanic woman with systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple tricuspid valvular vegetations who developed splenic and cerebral infarctions while on optimal anticoagulation therapy with warfarin in the setting of a newly diagnosed patent foramen ovale. A review of the literature on Libman-Sacks endocarditis and patent foramen ovale closure is presented.
Zurick
Andrew O
AO
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA. azurick@unch.unc.edu
Yang
Eric H
EH
Chang
Patricia P
PP
Hinderliter
Alan L
AL
Willis
Park W
PW
D000328:Adult; D019320:Embolism, Paradoxical / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography