Presentation and management of marantic endocarditis: A case series

Marantic endocarditis is defined as a sterile endocarditis that is rarely encountered in clinical practice. This case series illustrates five cases of marantic endocarditis. All cases were diagnosed on trans thoracic echocardiography and verified on transesophageal echocardiography. The first three cases occur in the setting of antiphospholipid syndrome; the last two occur in the setting of advanced malignancy. Two cases were treated successfully with anticoagulation, while two others required valvular surgery. One case resulted in mortality. The treatment course of these five patients mirrors certain patterns described in the literature. Marantic endocarditis is a rare sterile endocarditis. The most common causes are malignancy and auto-immune disease. The management varies based on the patient characteristics, ranging from anti coagulation to open heart surgery. The TEE image above from Case 1 shows a marantic vegetation of the aortic valve. image