Three-dimensional transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in the evaluation of mitral and aortic valve postendocarditic lesions

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography is providing more specific details to the morphology and function of the valve apparatus than does two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography. More than that, 3D data facilitates the judgment of the mechanism and a better understanding of the lesions, helping the surgeon to plan the surgical procedure. The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of 3D transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) reconstruction and 3D transthoracic real time echocardiography (TTE) for analyzing aortic and mitral valves in patients with infective endocarditis, for a better underst…