Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2009
Rheumatic heart disease is the only residual morbidity, and the sole cause of mortality, from rheumatic fever. Echocardiography is ideally suited to confirm and follow the course of rheumatic heart disease. Additionally, both minimal valvar pathology in children, and extensive valvar pathology in adults, may not cause a murmur and can be detected only by echocardiography. Whenever possible, echocardiography should be routinely employed for management of patients with rheumatic fever or suspected rheumatic fever.
Note from the editor: To retain uniformity with our editorial style, throughout this manuscript the stylistic editor has pluralised “criterion”, and some of the bacteriums producing enodcarditis, by adding an “s”, or “es”, to the singular noun.