Value of brain MRI in infective endocarditis: a narrative literature review

The nervous system is frequently involved in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). A systematic review of the literature was realized in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). This study sought to systematically evaluate the published evidence of the contribution of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in IE. The aim was to identify studies presenting the incidence and type of MRI brain lesions in IE. Fifteen relevant studies were isolated using the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Most of them were observational studies with a small number of patients. MRI studies demonstrated a wide variety and high frequency of cerebral lesions, around 80 % of which were mostly clinically occult. This review shows MRI’s superiority compared to brain computed tomography (CT) for the diagnosis of neurologic complications. Recent developments of sensitive MRI sequences can detect microinfarction and cerebral microhemorrhages. However, the clinical significance of these microhemorrhages, also called cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), remains uncertain. Because some MRI neurological lesions are a distinctive IE feature, they can have a broader involvement in diagnosis and therapeutic decisions. Even if cerebral MRI offers new perspectives for better IE management, there is not enough scientific proof to recommend it in current guidelines. The literature remains incomplete regarding the impact of MRI on concerted decision-making. The long-term prognosis of CMBs has not been evaluated to date and requires further studies. Today, brain MRI can be used on a case-by-case basis based on a clinician’s appraisal.