Comparison of long term outcome in patients with or without aortic ring abscess treated surgically for aortic valve infective endocarditis.

Objective: To assess the long term prognostic significance of aortic valve ring abscess in patients with aortic endocarditis.

Patients: A consecutive series of 75 patients who had surgery for aortic infective endocarditis between 1981 and 1989; 35 had aortic ring abscesses (group 1) and 40 did not (group 2). Mean age did not differ between the two groups.

[Comparative outcome of aortic valve endocarditis with or without annular abscess].

Annular abscess is a not uncommon but serious complication of aortic valve endocarditis. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognosis of aortic valve endocarditis with and without annular abscess. Between January 1981 and 1989, 122 consecutive cases of aortic endocarditis fulfilling the diagnostic criteria of Duke University were admitted to hospital.

[Coxiella burnetii endocarditis on a mechanical valvular prosthesis. Apropos of 2 cases].

The authors report two cases of prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Coxiella burnetii. The histories were chronic and complex suggesting an auto-immune disease: prolonged recurrent fever despite antibiotic therapy with a biological inflammatory syndrome whilst blood cultures remained negative. The first patient presented with prosthetic valve dehiscence and acute glomerulonephritis.