RT-140
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Atrial fibrillation and
intra-atrial thrombi: clinical and echocardiographic correlations
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Alberto Menotti, Ferdinando
Imperadore, Giuseppe Vergara, Marcello Disertori*.
Department of Cardiology, Rovereto Hospital, Rovereto,
*Department of Cardiology, S. Chiara Hospital, Trento, Italy
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Abstract
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Background. Atrial fibrillation is
associated with an increased risk of stroke, presumably due to cardiogenic embolism. Left
atrial thrombus has long been postulated as a potential source of embolism in the presence
of atrial fibrillation. In this study we have evaluated the correlation between the
presence of intra atrial and/or appendage thrombi and some clinical-echocardiographic
parameters.
Methods. The prevalence and clinical significance of left atrial
thrombus were prospectively investigated in a consecutive series of 63 patients (40 M, 23
F), mean age 62 ± 10 years, with atrial fibrillation who underwent preliminary
transesophageal echocardiography on cardioversion).
Results. Five patients had lone atrial fibrillation (8%), 44 (70%)
non rheumatic atrial fibrillation and 14 (22%) rheumatic atrial fibrillation. Eighteen had
intratrial and/or appendage thrombi. We found a significant correlation between presence
of thrombi and atrial fibrillation onset (p = 0.03), spontaneous echocontrast (p = 0.03)
while age, sex, mitral regurgitation > 2 and cardiopathy were not predictive
perhaps due to the low number of patients.
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Key Words
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Atrial fibrillation – thromboembolic events
intra-atrial thrombus, apendage thrombus, onset of arrhythmias, transoesophageal
echocardiography, OA
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