title: Spontaneous left atrial echocardiographic contrast in mitral stenosis: early disappearance after valve replacement.
abstract: We describe a patient with mitral stenosis and severely enlarged left atrium. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a false image of intraatrial thrombus, whereas transesophageal echocardiography showed massive spontaneous left atrial contrast. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was performed. During cardioplegic arrest the contrast was enhanced, but it gradually and completely cleared 15 minutes after cardiopulmonary by-pass arrest. Transesophageal echocardiography is a useful technique for the study of intraatrial masses and may bring a new dimension to tissue characterization studies.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiology II, La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Voci
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scibilia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bilotta
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maugeri
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Caretta
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mercanti
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reale
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery