TRAUMATIC OR SEPTIC AORTIC REGURGITATION - DIAGNOSIS BY ESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

Severe aortic regurgitation was discovered in a young man 21 days afte r blunt chest trauma and after a prolonged febrile stare with positive blood cultures. Using transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE), it was possible to make the differential diagnosis between traumatic rupture and endocarditis as the cause of valvular insufficiency. The use of T EE in the initial evaluation of severe thoracic trauma with an unclear clinical picture is recommended. This method is easy to use at the be dside and gives precise information on the aortic valve and the ascend ing aorta.