Left atrial appendage thrombus

Case contributed by Chris O'Donnell
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Incidental finding on a staging CT scan of the chest

Patient Data

Age: 75 years
Gender: Female

Filling defect in the left atrial appendage.  This is not the typical site of myxoma (the major differential diagnosis).  The patient is chronically fibrillating (atrial) thus thrombus is most likely.

Case Discussion

Clot in the left atrial appendage is a potential source of embolism producing ischemic stroke and infarction of other organs including the spleen, bowel and kidneys.

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