Current Surgical Approaches to Managing Infective Endocarditis With Aortic Root Abscess.

Aortic root abscess (ARA) is a life-threatening complication of infective endocarditis (IE) associated with high mortality despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. We conducted a focused review of the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, imaging modalities, causative pathogens, treatment strategies, and outcomes of ARA. This review summarizes results from studies evaluating different surgical approaches for ARA and discusses emerging diagnostic and therapeutic innovations. The mortality rate of ARA complicating IE ranges from 12.2% to 30%. Early diagnosis remains challenging, and multiple surgical approaches are available. The choice of surgical approach depends primarily on the extent and anatomical distribution of the abscess. This review underscores the need for improved diagnostic strategies and optimized surgical strategies to enhance outcomes and long-term prognosis in patients with ARA.