Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026

The WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 28, 2012
Left atrial appendage mass: is it always a thrombus?
Hikmet Sahratov1, Adem Guler1, Mustafa Kurkluoglu1
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Abstract:
Myxoma is the most common benign tumor of the heart, but it is very rare for it to originate from the left atrial appendage. Distinguishing between a mass, a thrombus, and a tumor in the body of the left atrium with preoperative transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography is very difficult, even more so in patients with mitral valve disease and chronic atrial fibrillation. A 50-year-old male patient was admitted for surgery with the diagnosis of mitral stenosis and chronic atrial fibrillation. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a mass attached to the wall of the left atrial appendage. Histopathological examination of the mass showed an image compatible with a myxoma. We hereby describe a case of a left atrial appendage myxoma mimicking a left atrial appendage thrombus.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Mitral Stenosis II: Clinical features and Diagnostic Tests
Aortic Regurgitation II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Mitral Valve Prolapse II: Assessment and Management
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

