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A Ball Valve Thrombus in a Young Obese Male With Hyperlipidemia
Dibyasundar Mahanta1, Debasish Das1, Debasis Acharya1
1Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, IND.
Insights
A rare ball valve thrombus formed in the left atrium of an obese patient due to dyslipidemia. This case highlights a novel cause for this cardiac condition, distinct from typical rheumatic mitral stenosis.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Ball valve thrombus is a recognized complication, commonly associated with rheumatic mitral stenosis.
- It can also occur in patients post-mitral valve replacement, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and rarely as left atrial myxoma.
- Right atrial thrombi have been noted in intensive care and cancer patients.
Observation:
- The study presents an exceptionally rare instance of a ball valve thrombus.
- This thrombus was found in the left atrium of an obese individual.
- Dyslipidemia was identified as the exclusive causative factor.
Findings:
- The thrombus detached, obstructing mitral inflow and causing pulmonary edema.
- Potential left ventricular outflow tract obstruction leading to syncope was observed.
- Cerebral embolism resulting in hemiplegia was a noted consequence.
Implications:
- This case expands the known etiology of ball valve thrombus formation.
- It underscores the significant role of dyslipidemia in cardiac thrombus development.
- Highlights the need for considering metabolic factors in unexplained cardiac events.
Abstract:
A ball valve thrombus is a common entity in rheumatic mitral stenosis where a large clot forms in the left atrial appendage, the clot detaches from the left atrial appendage, swirls in the left atrium in a clockwise manner, obstructs the mitral inflow producing cyclic acute pulmonary edema, and likely causes left ventricular outflow tract obstruction producing transient syncope or embolism to the brain producing dense hemiplegia. Besides rheumatic mitral stenosis, ball valve thrombus has been described in post-mitral valve replacement patients and restrictive cardiomyopathy. Left atrial myxoma sometimes rocks across the mitral valve producing the effect of a ball valve thrombus. Right atrial ball valve thrombus has been described after prolonged parenteral nutrition through a central line in intensive care units and in carcinoma patients with cardiac metastasis. We report an extremely rare case of a ball valve thrombus in an obese individual where dyslipidemia was the sole triggering factor for the formation of a ball valve thrombus in the left atrium.
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