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Free‐Floating Left Atrial Ball Thrombus Following Mitral Valve Replacement
Author(s) -
Chen Timothy,
LeJemtel Thierry H.,
Garcia Jose,
Gordon Garet M.,
Spevack Daniel M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.2005.04060.x
Subject(s) - medicine , cardiology , thrombus , transesophageal echocardiogram , atrial fibrillation , mitral valve replacement , mitral regurgitation , ejection fraction , mitral valve , left atrium , ball valve , surgery , radiology , heart failure , structural engineering , engineering
We report the case of a 51‐year‐old woman who underwent mitral valve replacement for prolapse with severe regurgitation, depressed ejection fraction, and atrial fibrillation. Two weeks post‐operatively, a transesophageal echocardiogram was performed for bacteremia. The patient was found incidentally to have a large free‐floating ball thrombus in the left atrium. The patient was managed with anticoagulation because of the high‐risk nature of repeat surgery. One month following diagnosis, the patient still had persistent thrombus in the left atrium seen on transthoracic echocardiography despite therapeutic anticoagulation. Free‐floating ball thrombus is a rare and dramatic finding seen on echocardiography in patients with mitral valve disease.