Stroke and vegetations on cardiac valves – Case report

Ischemic stroke is a common disease that can stem from multiple different causes, some of which are uncommon. A 43 year old woman with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome visited the emergency department due to dysarthria and was diagnosed with ischemic stroke. Transesophageal echocardiogram showed a mass on the mitral valve. After further workup, she was diagnosed with Libman-Sacks endocarditis, which is caused by endothelium damage along with hypercoagulability, and can form due to systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid syndrome. Libman-Sacks endocarditis is a nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis and thromboembolism is rare. It is treated with anticoagulation. It is also important to treat the underlying cause of the endocarditis.