ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the many modalities that are available to diagnose infective endocarditis (IE) with the notable exception of echocardiography. The role of echocardiography will be thoroughly presented in Chapter 14. Separating the discussion of cardiac ultrasound from the other diagnostic methods allows the former to be reviewed by recognized specialists. In the opinion of many, it has become the ascendent method of diagnosing IE. This chapter allows the reader to re-examine the importance of the other available methods, both traditional, such as the blood culture as well as more recent tools, such as various types of molecular methods. There are two major diagnostic goals: (i) establishing the existence of IE and (ii) defining the causative organism. The latter has major therapeutic implications.
