PMID: 8957388Dec 1, 1996Paper

Left atrial spontaneous echo contrast in asymptomatic patients with a mechanical valve prosthesis

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
T M LeeS H Chu

Abstract

Valve thromboembolism may be a fatal complication of mechanical valve prosthesis if detected late. Spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) is a well-documented prothrombotic phenomenon; here we report it in asymptomatic patients with a mechanical valve prosthesis. Ninety-two asymptomatic patients with a mechanical valve prosthesis for underlying rheumatic heart disease underwent transesophageal echocardiography. Appendage area, peak filling and emptying velocities of the left atrial appendage, and the presence or absence of SEC and thrombi were determined. The results of 56 patients without SEC or thrombi (group I) were compared with those of 24 patients with SEC and no thrombi (group II) and 12 patients with thrombi (group III). Spontaneous echo contrast was present in 39% of the asymptomatic patients with a mechanical valve prosthesis. Although 12 patients had cardiac thrombi, including valve thrombi in 4, no patients presented symptoms. Anticoagulant therapy had no significant association with SEC and atrial thrombi. There was a significantly greater prevalence of atrial fibrillation and mitral prosthesis in groups II and III than in group I. Two patterns of left atrial appendage flow were identified: one was organized biphasic flow...Continue Reading

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Citations

Nov 30, 2000·Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing·F MouretR Rieu
Jun 7, 2000·Journal of the American College of Cardiology·S Sadanandan, M V Sherrid
Dec 10, 1999·Journal of the American College of Cardiology·Y AgmonJ B Seward
May 18, 2000·European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery : Official Journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery·S BenussiO Alfieri
Sep 17, 2002·Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery·Niv Ad, James L Cox
Nov 8, 2015·Journal of Veterinary Cardiology : the Official Journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·H B KellihanL J Smith
Dec 2, 2000·American Heart Journal·D GuptaP Venugopal

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