Floating ball thrombus in the left atrium with mitral stenosis.
We report a case of a floating ball thrombus in the left atrium with mitral stenosis in a 76-year-old woman. The patient had been followed-up at our hospital due to mitral valve stenosis for several years, and was recognized to have atrial fibrillation and a left atrial mural thrombus by echocardiography. She was admitted to our hospital for right cerebral infarction. Echocardiography showed a floating ball thrombus in the left atrium. After the treatment of cerebral infarction, she was referred to cardiac surgery, and a semi-urgent operation was performed. Removal of the ball thrombus and mitral valve replacement were performed simultaneously. The thrombus was single, round, soft, relatively smooth surfaced, and about 30 x 30 x 30 mm in diameter. The postoperative course was uneventful. Left atrial ball thrombus appears to be uncommon. This is a rare case, in which it was documented that a pre-existing left atrial mural thrombus was thought to drop off spontaneously, to be a cerebral embolic source, and to develop into a ball thrombus in the left atrium.
Misumi
Takahiko
T
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hiratsuka City Hospital, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan.
Kudo
Mikihiko
M
Ito
Tsutomu
T
Matsubara
Takashi
T
Kumamaru
Hiroya
H
D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery