Multimodality imaging in the diagnosis of bioprosthetic aortic valve endocarditis: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Prosthetic valve infective endocarditis (PVE) is a diagnostic challenge even in the era of multimodality cardiovascular imaging. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 67-year-old male with a three-year history of bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement who presented with persistent fever and negative blood cultures. The initial transthoracic echocardiography revealed a thickened aortic root. An abscess formation was visualized upon subsequent three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography and positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT). The patient underwent an urgent necrotic tissue debridement and a redo Bentall surgery. The real-time polymerase chain reaction of excised tissues was positive for Streptococcus. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: The diagnosis of PVE and its complications requires the integration of clinical, microbiological, and serial imaging data. Although advanced imaging modalities like PET/CT allow a timely diagnosis and management, their routine use in resource-limited scenarios is difficult. CONCLUSION: Multimodality cardiovascular imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis of PVE. Serial echocardiographic and clinical assessments are possible alternatives when the access to advanced cardiovascular imaging modalities is limited.