Three-dimensional echocardiography of left atrial appendage thrombus

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is superior to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in evaluating the left atrial appendage (LAA) as a potential cardiac source of embolus in patients with stroke. We describe two such patients in whom a TEE and subsequently a three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of the LAA were performed. These case reports show that 3-D echocardiography provides better visualization of LAA anatomy, and that a 3-D description of LAA morphology may be the basis of describing normal and abnormal LAA.