The optimal timing of cardiac surgery remains unclear for patients with neurological complications of infective endocarditis (IE). However, neuroimaging findings may allow more refined clinical decision-making. We analyzed clinical and advanced neuroimaging data for 135 patients with IE who had preoperatively diagnosed ischemic cerebral complications (86 patients) or hemorrhagic complications (49 patients), between January 1997 and May 2013. The effect of early surgery (within 3 and 7 days of ischemic and hemorrhagic complications respectively) on in-hospital mortality and 1-year adverse outcomes (mortality, relapse, or new embolic events) was estimated. Small cerebral emboli (≤2 cm) led to early surgery (cases with ischemic complications: 57% vs 26%, p = 0.04; cases with hemorrhagic complications: 56% vs 13%, p = 0.02). Early surgery was not significantly associated with increased rates of in-hospital mortality and 1-year adverse outcomes among patients with ischemic complications (14% vs 9%, odds ratio [OR] 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.44-6.38, p = 0.52; 17% vs 14%, OR 1.27, 95% CI 0.39-4.14, p = 0.7 respectively). Only 1 patient (4%) with hemorrhagic complications experienced in-hospital mortality in the early surgery group, and early surgery was not significantly associated with 1-year adverse outcomes (21% vs 12%, OR 1.93, 95% CI 0.41-9.16, p = 0.46). The risks of in-hospital mortality and 1-year adverse outcome were not increased, even if cardiac surgery had been carried out earlier than previously described. Our findings suggest that early surgery, when indicated, may be performed for patients with IE and neurological complications, especially if the cerebral embolus has a diameter of ≤2 cm.