What is the sensitivity and specificity of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in diagnosing endocarditis?

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a common non-invasive imaging technique used in evaluating possible cases of infective endocarditis. In general, its sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing endocarditis are not perfect.

The correct answer indicates a sensitivity of 60% and specificity of 90-95%. This means that TTE is relatively good at confirming the diagnosis when endocarditis is present (indicated by a high specificity), but it can miss some cases (as suggested by the lower sensitivity). In practice, this can mean that TTE might not visualize all vegetations or abscesses in some patients, leading to potential false negatives. However, when endocarditis is diagnosed and the images suggest its presence, the specificity is high, indicating that positive findings are likely to represent true cases of endocarditis.

Other options present higher sensitivity and specificity, which are not reflective of the clinical performance characteristics of TTE. For instance, the higher values would imply that the echocardiogram is more reliable than studies have shown in clinical settings, where factors like the patient's body habitus, the quality of images, and the nature of the vegetations can all affect the diagnostic yield of TTE. Therefore, the