Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Inflammatory, abscess-forming foreign body reaction mimics a thrombus formation on an atrial septal defect closure
Dimitar Divchev1, Edith Katharina Podewski, Michael Mengel
1Hannover Medical School, Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. divchev.dimitar@mh-hannover.de
Abstract:
We are presenting a case of floating left and right atrial formations on an atrial septal defect occluder system (23mm StarFLEX)-Occluder) initially supposed to be thrombotic appositions in a 57-year-old man. The closure was performed on the background of left hemispheric stroke and atrial septal aneurysm (ASA) with patent foramen ovale (PFO). The suspect structures were detected in the 6-month follow-up by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The patient underwent a successful surgical explantation of the closure device and closure of the patent foramen ovale (PFO) using a pericardial patch. The pathological evaluation of the biatrial device associated appositions revealed hytrophic heart muscle tissue with perifocal scarring and purulent abscess-forming, granulating and foam-cell including inflammatory foreign body reaction instead of the expected thrombus formation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Brain Abscess l: Introduction
Venous Thrombosis I: Introduction
Aneurysm III: Interprofessional Care
Rheumatic Heart Disease I: Introduction

