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Mitral valve ring abscess and ventricular pseudoaneurysm are rare complications of infective endocarditis. We describe the case of a 58-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital with sepsis caused by Staphylococcus aureus and in whom tricuspid and mitral valve endocarditis developed within 2 weeks. Despite widespread antibiotic therapy, the endocarditis proceeded to form a mitral valve ring abscess and a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm. The diagnosis was set by repeated multiplane transesophageal echocardiography and confirmed by heart surgery.

From November, 1971, to September, 1974, 1,179 patients received aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass grafts at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital. Segments of saphenous vein from each patient were sent for microscopical analysis. These vein segments were classified as normal or abnormal (phlebosclerotic). Four hundred ninety-six normal vein grafts in 295 patients were restudied and had a patency of 87.9%. One hundred forty-four abnormal vein grafts in 86 patients were restudied and showed 89.5% patency. This study suggests that histopathological identification of an abnormal (phlebosclerotic) vein segment does not constitute a determining factor as far as late patency is concerned in a vein segment that is not grossly sclerotic.