Thrombi in left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction--review of the literature

Claudia Stöllberger1, Josef Finsterer

  • 1Krankenanstalt Rudolfstiftung, 2nd Medical Department, Juchgasse 25, A-1030 Wien, Austria. claudia.stoellberger@chello.at

Acta Cardiologica
|July 17, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Thrombus formation is rare in left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction (LVHT). LVHT alone does not warrant anticoagulation, but co-existing conditions like atrial fibrillation require standard treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction (LVHT) is characterized by prominent trabeculations and deep recesses.
  • Interventricular recesses in LVHT are suspected sites for thrombus formation, but prevalence data are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of thrombus formation in hearts with left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction.

Main Methods:

  • A Medline search identified pathoanatomical studies of LVHT hearts.
  • Studies describing coronary artery connections to recesses were excluded.

Main Results:

  • Pathoanatomical findings from 37 LVHT hearts were analyzed.
  • Only 2 out of 37 hearts showed thrombus formation.
  • Nine patients had prior embolic events, often with co-existing risk factors like atrial fibrillation or left ventricular dysfunction.

Conclusions:

  • Thrombus formation is an infrequent complication of LVHT.
  • LVHT itself is not an indication for oral anticoagulation.
  • Concurrent cardiac conditions increasing embolism risk necessitate standard management.
Abstract

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