Aortic valve ring abscess: clinical course and long term follow-up.

From 1981 to 1985, 20 patients with aortic ring abscess underwent valve replacement or repair. In 11 causes, infective endocarditis evolved rapidly and required urgent surgery. Echocardiography and aortography enable the diagnosis of aortic ring abscess pre-operatively in most patients. The operative mortality was 15% and secondary mortality was particularly high in patients who had undergone urgent surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]