Infective vegetations can rarely be found in the aorta. Similar lesions can also be found in the pulmonary artery.
The diagnosis may be made by:
(1) echocardiography showing an intravascular vegetation
(2) resected vegetation
Clues to the diagnosis:
(1) bacterial endocarditis
(2) aortic defect which can be seeded by micro-organisms
(3) positive blood cultures, especially if persistently positive
Causative organisms:
(1) Staphylococcus aureus
(2) Streptococcus species
(3) fungus
Complications:
(1) arterial emboli
Differential diagnosis:
(1) noninfected thrombus over an ulcerated atherosclerotic plaque
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Specialty: Infectious Diseases, Cardiology
