Which retinal finding is classically associated with infective endocarditis?

Which retinal finding is classically associated with infective endocarditis?

• A. Petechial rash
• B. Splinter hemorrhage
• C. Osler's nodes
• D. Roth spots

Answer: (D)

Roth spots are retinal hemorrhages with pale or white centers, reflecting microvascular infarction or immune complex–mediated changes in the retina. In infective endocarditis, emboli or immune complex–driven inflammation from valvular vegetations can lodge in retinal vessels, causing these characteristic white-centered hemorrhages. They are a classic ocular finding linked to endocarditis, complementing peripheral signs such as nail-bed splinter hemorrhages and Osler nodes. Other options describe skin or nodular signs, not the retinal hemorrhages with white centers seen in Roth spots.

Roth spots are retinal hemorrhages with pale or white centers, reflecting microvascular infarction or immune complex–mediated changes in the retina. In infective endocarditis, emboli or immune complex–driven inflammation from valvular vegetations can lodge in retinal vessels, causing these characteristic white-centered hemorrhages. They are a classic ocular finding linked to endocarditis, complementing peripheral signs such as nail-bed splinter hemorrhages and Osler nodes. Other options describe skin or nodular signs, not the retinal hemorrhages with white centers seen in Roth spots.