Rheumatic valvulitis - Forgotten, but not gone

Acute rheumatic fever is an exceedingly rare condition in the developed world. It is thought to have nearly disappeared in the United States. Through the case of a 41-year-old Caucasian female who presented with progressive dyspnea and symptoms of heart failure, due to subacute rheumatic valvulitis, the importance of multimodality cardiovascular imaging assessment of patients presenting with severe, multi-valvular dysfunction is highlighted. This case also serves as a powerful reminder for clinicians that rheumatic valvulitis should remain in the differential diagnoses for patients with otherwise unexplained severe, multi-valvular dysfunction.