Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Congenital Absence of Left Atrial Appendage in a Patient with Intracranial Hemorrhage
Giuseppe Di Gioia1, Simona Mega1, Silvia Visconti2
1Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Background:
Intracranial hemorrhage is the most serious complication of anticoagulant therapy and is itself an absolute contraindication to further treatment.
Case Report:
We present the case of a 78-year-old patient with permanent atrial fibrillation and previous intracranial hemorrhage during oral anticoagulation therapy, who was a candidate for percutaneous closure of the left atrial appendage. Transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomography showed absence of the left atrial appendage. The patient continued with single antiplatelet therapy.
Conclusions:
Absence of the left atrial appendage is a very rare congenital condition usually found in patients scheduled for cardiovascular procedures and without clinical significance. The risk of thromboembolism is reasonably low but unknown.
