Clinical imaging in patients with fever and suspected endocarditis.

Echocardiography remains the cornerstone of the diagnostic of anatomic lesions and consequences on cardiac function caused by infective endocarditis (IE). There is now evidence that other imaging techniques are useful in reducing the number of non-conclusive diagnoses, in particular when IE is suspected on prosthetic material or devices. Besides diagnosis, cardiac imaging strongly contributes to prognostic assessment, indications for early surgery and patient follow-up. It is required a specific expertise for implementing and interpreting all imaging techniques and the complexity of decision-making highlights the need for a multidisciplinary management of difficult cases in specialized endocarditis teams.