title: 64-MDCT can depict the thrombi expanded from the left lower pulmonary vein to the left atrium in the patient with angina pectoris.
abstract: Stroke is an important clinical problem and some strokes are caused by a cardiac thrombus. Although large thrombus in the left atrium (LA) is known, small-sized LA thrombus is rare. LA thrombus or a left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus is well known to cause ischaemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). For patients with AF, anticoagulants are recommended to prevent stroke. 64-slice multidetector CT (64-MDCT) can estimate not only the coronary artery stenosis, but LAA thrombus and small pulmonary vein thrombus (PVT). This study demonstrated the thrombi in the left lower pulmonary vein to LA in a 70-year-old man without AF by 64-MDCT. The LA thrombi were identified by transthoracic echocardiography, the size of which was 30.2 mm×8.1 mm. PVT and the small LA thrombus seem to have been significantly underestimated. 64-MDCT is a useful tool to estimate PVT and LA thrombi promptly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan. takeuchi-h@ymdmail.jp
authors.forename: Hidekazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003328:Coronary Thrombosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D001241:Aspirin
references.citation: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000 Jan;35(1):183-7
references.pmid: 10636278
references.citation: BMJ Case Rep. 2012 Sep 24;2012:
references.pmid: 23008363
references.citation: Lancet. 1999 Oct 23;354(9188):1457-63
references.pmid: 10543686
references.citation: BMJ Case Rep. 2012 Sep 14;2012:
references.pmid: 22984003
references.citation: BMJ Case Rep. 2012 Oct 13;2012:
references.pmid: 23081666