title: [False mass in the left atrium... or better: true mass in false atrium].
abstract: We report the case of a 59-year-old man who underwent transesophageal echocardiography following a cryptogenic minor stroke. An image of a solid mass of the left atrial appendage, highly suggestive of a thrombus, was observed. The patient was treated for 10 weeks with oral anticoagulants. Because of the absence of changes in the echocardiographic appearance of the mass at follow-up, the patient was submitted to surgery. At surgical exploration no endocavitary thrombus was found, but the left atrial appendage appeared hypoplastic and dysmorphic. A biopsy was taken and the left atrial appendage was plicated. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of dysmorphism of the left atrial appendage mimicking a left atrial thrombus in a patient with cryptogenic minor stroke.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa di Cardiologia e Cure Intensive Cardiologiche, Ospedale Generale Regionale, Aosta, San Donato Milanese, MI.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giudice
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lupi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frigiola
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guerra
mesh_terms: D020517:Atrial Appendage / Q000002:abnormalities*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography