A Case of Left Atrial Myocardial Abscess Complicating Bicuspid Aortic Valve Infective Endocarditis

(The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Anjo Kosei Hospital, Anjo, Japan)

Hitoshi Suzuki Keizo Tanaka Shinji Kanemitsu
Toshiya Tokui Yoshihiko Kinoshita
A 56-year-old man was admitted with fever of unknown origin and congestive heart failure. Blood cultures grew Streptococcus gordonii. An echocardiographic examination showed vegetation attached to the bicuspid aortic valve and severe aortic regurgitation. Despite the aggressive therapy, an emergency operation had to be performed because it was otherwise impossible to control heart failure. Vegetation was attached to the aortic valve leaflets. There was no noticeable lesion on the aortic annulus, but a myocardial abscess was noted in the left atrial wall. Aortic valve replacement was performed after the myocardial abscess was drained. It was assumed that the myocardial abscess was due to the septic state from infective endocarditis because it was recognized at a distant zone from the active valvular infection.
@Jpn. J. Cardiovasc. Surg. 35: 49-52 (2006)