Cross-sectional echocardiographic detection of aortic ring abscess in bacterial endocarditis.

The diagnosis of aortic ring abscess by cross-sectional echocardiography has not been reported. In this paper, a case of bacterial endocarditis of the aortic valve extending to the aortic ring and the mitral valve is reported. The role of cross-sectional echocardiography in defining the anatomic distortion of the aortic valve in bacterial endocarditis and its complications is emphasized. This study would indicate that early diagnosis of aortic ring abscess is feasible by cross-sectional echocardiography.