Clinical study of stroke related to infective endocarditis

Abstract

Infective endocarditis (IE) has several complications, especially cerebrovascular disease which is the most common complication. Ischemic stroke occupies more than half of all neurological complications, and hemorrhagic stroke accounts for 6–18%. Stroke mainly occurs in the initial stage of IE, and ischemic stroke often develops as a first symptom of IE. The majority of cerebral infarctions is detected in the territory supplied by the cerebral cortical branches, and intracerebral hemorrhages are frequently found with multiple hematomas in the subcortical region. In the IE patients without stroke, asymptomatic infarctions, asymptomatic hemorrhages or both are often detected on magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. Stroke more frequently develops in the IE with Staphylococcus aureus to compare with in that with other types of the bacteria, and the size of vegetation detected on echocardiography is significantly associated with a risk of stroke.