Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus and Embolic Stroke

Complex left atrial appendage morphology and left atrial appendage thrombus formation in patients with atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), most thrombus forms in the left atrial appendage (LAA). However, the relation of LAA morphology with LAA thrombus is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We prospectively enrolled 633 consecutive patients who were candidates for catheter ablation for symptomatic drug-resistant AF. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed to assess LAA ...

Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus Despite Anticoagulation.

The American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association task force on practice guidelines recommend therapeutic anticoagulation for at least 3 weeks prior to cardioversion in patients with atrial fibrillation of 48-hour duration or longer, or when the duration of atrial fibrillation is unknown. This case report demonstrates the presence of thrombi in the left atrial appendage d...

Left Atrial Appendage Function and Stroke Risk.

A Semi-Automated Algorithm for Segmentation of the Left Atrial Appendage Landing Zone: Application in Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Procedures

Background: Mechanical occlusion of the Left atrial appendage (LAA) using a purpose-built device has emerged as an effective prophylactic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke and a contraindication for anticoagulation. A crucial step in procedural planning is the choice of the device size. This is currently based on the manual analysis of the “Device Landing Zone” fr...

Dislodgement and embolization of a left atrial appendage thrombus.

An 80-year-old man was admitted to our center because of recurrent ischemic strokes. Notably, the patient had recently been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung and was waiting to start radiation therapy. In addition, he was receiving chronic anticoagulation therapy with a coumarin derivative for permanent atrial fibrillation and maintained adequate international normalized ratio (INR) con...