Missing left atrial thrombus: dislodgement or artifact?

Kurisu, Kazuhiro; Hisahara, Manabu; Ando, Yusuke · Ann Thorac Surg · 2008

case_report · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Patients with a left atrial thrombus are considered at high risk of thromboembolism. Surgical treatment is generally recommended. We experienced a case of a patient with a history of cerebral embolism related to chronic atrial fibrillation in whom, unexpectedly, no thrombi were found at thrombectomy. Although echocardiography is a useful method for detection of a thrombus in the left atrium, the possibility of a reverberation artifact should be routinely explored.

Medical subject headings