[Fever of unknown origin and tuberculous aortitis]. / Fiebr de origen desconocido y aortitis tuberculosa.

We present the case of a silicotic patient, with recurrent febrile episodes during the past three years, who was hospitalized for the study of prolonged fever. In addition to compliance with the criteria of fever from unknown origin (FUO), the patient presented semiology and echocardiogram compatible with infectious endocarditis. Later on, he developed a severe aortic failure refractary to medical treatment and hence, he underwent surgery. The surgical intervention showed an abscess in the aortic root, which resulted to be of a tuberculous origin and an intact aortic valve. The review of the echocardiographic study allowed the detection of an image compatible with aortic abscess. We comment on the characteristic of this rare entity and the peculiarities of this case, which fulfill the criteria of what has been recently named recurrent or episodic FUO and among whose causes Mycobacterium tuberculosis had not been detected up to now.

[Diagnostic usefulness of 2-dimensional echocardiography in eosinophilic endomyocardial disease (Loeffler disease)]. / Utilidad diagnóstica de la ecocardiografía bidimensional en la enfermedad endomiocárdica eosinofílica (enfermedad de Löffler).

We present an uncommon case of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome with cardiac involvement (fibroplastic parietal endocarditis --Löffler's disease--) in a 48-year-old female with congestive heart failure and hypereosinophilia. The 2-D echo findings (biventricular apical obliteration by echogenic endomyocardial proliferations with normal systolic inward motion) were the clue for the diagnosis that was hemodynamically and pathologically confirmed subsequently. We emphasize the diagnostic value of two-dimensional echocardiography in this condition and review the literature on it.