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Transience of left ventricular thrombosis
Insights
Left ventricular thrombi can form rapidly and resolve quickly, even with standard anticoagulation. This transient nature of left ventricular thrombosis is important for managing patients diagnosed via echocardiography.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Dilated congestive myocardial disease can lead to left ventricular mural thrombus formation.
- Echocardiography is a key diagnostic tool for visualizing cardiac structures and abnormalities.
Abstract:
A left ventricular mural thrombus with a mobile appendix of 0.5 x 0.5 x 3 cm was shown by two dimensional echocardiography in a 31 year old man who had dilated congestive myocardial disease. Serial echocardiograms showed formation of the thrombus within three weeks and uncomplicated disappearance of the mobile clot within less than two days. Heparin and phenprocoumon were given in doses generally not accepted to affect left ventricular thrombosis adequately. Such transience of left ventricular thrombosis may be worth considering when deciding whether to treat patients with thrombi accidentally demonstrated by echocardiography; it also might explain some of the many negative examinations in the echocardiographic screening of patients with embolism.