nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis /-baktir″ē·əl/ [L, non + bakerion, small rod] , one of the three main types of endocarditis, characterized by various kinds of lesions affecting the heart valves, most often on the left side of the heart. The disease may be the first step in the development of bacterial endocarditis, and the lesions may cause peripheral arterial embolisms, resulting in death. The disease equally affects men and women between 18 and 90 years of age and causes heart murmurs in about 30% of cases. There is no successful treatment, but anticoagulation therapy may be used to reduce the incidence of peripheral arterial embolism. See also Libman-Sacks endocarditis.
