Faculty Opinions recommendation of 2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of infective endocarditis: The Task Force for the Management of Infective Endocarditis of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Endorsed by: European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM).

Abstract

In the newly updated 2015 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) infective endocarditis (IE) guidelines, the role of imaging by computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) is expanded. Identification of a paravalvular lesion (abscess, pseudoaneurysm or fistula) on cardiac CT is now a major criterion for the diagnosis of IE. Positive PET-CT (or single-photon emission computed tomography) signal at the site of a prosthetic valve (at least 3 months after implant) has also been included as a new major criterion for diagnosis of prosthetic valve IE in the 2015 ESC guidelines. This Recommendation is of an article referenced in an F1000 Faculty Review also written by Bernard D. Prendergast and Thomas J. Cahill.