Related Experiment Videos
Recurring free-floating thrombus in the left atrium in a patient with mitral prosthesis
T Gonzalez-Alujas1, A Evangelista-Masip, H Garcia Del Castillo
1Department de Medicina, Hospital General Universitari Vall D'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
Insights
Recurrent left atrial thrombi were found in a patient with a mitral prosthesis. Transesophageal echocardiography successfully identified the left atrial appendage as the source, unlike transthoracic echocardiography.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Recurrent thrombus formation can occur in patients with prosthetic heart valves.
- Left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombi pose a risk for systemic embolization.
Abstract:
A case of recurrent left atrial free-floating thrombus in a patient with mitral prosthesis and multiple emboli is described. Transthoracic echocardiography failed to show the first ball thrombus, whereas transesophageal echocardiography proved highly useful both in diagnosis and in indicating the left atrial appendage as the source of the thrombi.