In general,
the mean age was 48e59 years and males predominated
(58.6%). Preceding gastrointestinal symptoms were
recalled in 27e42% of patients. The most commonly
involved cardiac valve was the mitral valve (33.3%), and
more than one-fourth (26.4%) of patients exhibited mural
endocarditis. The available information on the complica-
tions of perivalvular abscess in 43 cases showed that this
complication was more commonly found in cases of aortic
valve endocarditis (19.0%) than in cases of mitral valve
endocarditis (8.7%). The proportion of prosthetic valve
endocarditis increased over time and was 46.7% in our review.
Among 64 cases of valvular endocarditis, 25 patients
(39.1%) required cardiac surgery, and the mortality rate
was 39.1% (25/64). The mortality rate of 45 cases of native
valve endocarditis was 43.4% (20 patients) and the mortality
rate of 19 cases of prosthetic valve endocarditis was
31.6% (6 patients). The difference was not statistically
significant (p Z 0.26).