Giant vegetation of the tricuspid valve in a healthy patient without
risk factors for right-sided endocarditis
Abstract
We present the case of a middle-aged man who developed an infective
endocarditis of the tricuspid valve caused by methicillin-sensitive
Staphylococcus aureus and associated with a very large vegetation
(nearly 5 cm). Besides the quite unusual size of the vegetation, this
report highlights that severe right-sided endocarditis can occur in the
absence of classical risk factors (intravenous drug abuse, presence of a
cardiac implantable electronic device or other intravascular device, and
underlying right-sided cardiac anomaly) and that some cases of severe
tricuspid endocarditis can be successfully treated by partial excision
and patch repair.