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Updated: May 15, 2026

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
Valsalva aneurysm filled with thrombi mimicking a cardiac tumor
Yasuharu Lee1, Naoki Mori, Daisuke Nakamura
1Division of Cardiology, Osaka Rosai Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
Abstract:
A Valsalva aneurysm filled with thrombi can be difficult to diagnose, because it mimics a cardiac tumor. Both cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) were performed on a patient who showed a low-echoic mass located between the atrial septum and the non-coronary sinus. Based on MRI findings allowing tissue characterization and the accurate location of the mass and the TEE findings of an irregular surface of the mass and a partial defect in the edge of the non-coronary sinus, we diagnosed the mass as a thrombosed Valsalva aneurysm that had perforated the inter-atrial septum. The operative findings coincided with the preoperative diagnosis. Both MRI and TEE are useful for diagnosing this condition.
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