Description: Dr. Tia Chakraborty, a Fellow in Neurocritical Care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, reviews her article appearing in the June 2019 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, where she addresses the common use of brain MRI as screening for cerebrovascular complications in infective endocarditis. Dr. Chakraborty found that postoperative hemorrhage may be a less common complication of valve surgery than previously thought, and neuroimaging is not necessary in patients without neurologic symptoms. In contrast to current guidelines, she and her co-authors do not recommend empiric brain MRI as its findings should not delay valve surgery in the absence of hemorrhage or large territorial stroke visible on CT scan, which may be obtained as initial imaging in patients with neurologic symptoms. She provides an algorithm to assist clinicians in decision making regarding valve surgery in symptomatic patients according to specific CT findings. Available at: [ Ссылка ]
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