INFECTIVE MITRAL-VALVE ENDOCARDITIS AFTER PERCUTANEOUS TRANSVENOUS MITRAL COMMISSUROTOMY

Infective mitral valve endocarditis developed in a 40-year-old female patient after a percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC). The echocardiogram demonstrated a vegetation in the anterior leadflet of the mitral valve and moderate aortic insufficiency. The patient underwent replacement of the infected mitral and incompetent aortic valves. Infective mitral valve endocarditis should be recognized as a potentially lethal complication after PTMC. The important measures to prevent bacteremia during PTMC and the appropriate role of operation are discussed.