Left atrial wall dissection: a rare sequela of native-valve endocarditis

Left atrial wall dissection is a rare condition; most cases are iatrogenic after mitral valve surgery. A few have been reported as sequelae of blunt chest trauma, acute myocardial infarction, and invasive cardiac procedures. On occasion, infective endocarditis causes left atrial wall dissection. We report a highly unusual case in which a 41-year-old man presented with native mitral valve infective endocarditis that had caused left atrial free-wall dissection. Although our patient died within an hour of presentation, we obtained what we consider to be a definitive diagnosis of a rare sequela, documented by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography.