Free-floating ball thrombus in the left atrium.
Free-floating ball thrombi in the left atrium are rarely seen. They can cause sudden death by occluding the mitral valve. A 47-year-old female patient who showed signs of mitral stenosis during a physical examination and atrial fibrillation by electrocardiography was not administered anticoagulant therapy. On the transthoracic echocardiogram, a stenotic mitral valve and a floating mobile mass were seen inside the large left atrium. This mass was rounded (ball-like), had smooth contours, and occasionally occluded the stenotic mitral valve. The patient underwent emergency surgery to remove the mass, which was later proven to be a thrombus pathologically. Additionally, mitral valve replacement was performed. The importance of anticoagulant therapy for patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis has been emphasized by this case.
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Dicle University, School of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey. Omercak@dicle.edu.tr
Omer
O
Cakir
Nesimi
N
Eren
Ahmet
A
Oruç
Huseyin
H
Buyukbayram
D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000209:etiology; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome