An Unusual Case of Acquired Ventricular Septal Defect as a Complication of Aortic Valve Endocarditis: Echocardiographic Delineation of Multiple Subvalvular Complications in One Patient

Abstract

We describe a patient with unusual echocardiographic features of prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis. Transesophageal echocardiography in this patient demonstrated a large multiloculated aortic root abscess extending to mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa, a high acquired ventricular septal defect, paravalvular aortic regurgitation caused by aortic valve dehiscence, and anterior mitral valve leaflet perforation. (J Am Soc Echo-cardiogr 2000;13:693-5.)