Left Atrial and Ventricular Ball Thrombi Complicating Rheumatic Heart Disease with Combined Mitral and Aortic Stenosis

• Published in: Echocardiography (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 159 - 161
• Main Authors: Lee, Andrew Ying-Siu, Chang, Michael Chich-Kuang, Chen, Tien-Jen, Chang, Wen-Fung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Futura Publishing, Inc 01.02.2001
• Subjects: Aged; aortic stenosis; Aortic Valve Stenosis - complications; Aortic Valve Stenosis - diagnostic imaging; ball thrombus; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Echocardiography, Doppler - methods; Female; Heart Atria - diagnostic imaging; Heart Diseases - complications; Heart Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Heart Ventricles - diagnostic imaging; Humans; Male; mitral stenosis; Mitral Valve Stenosis - complications; Mitral Valve Stenosis - diagnostic imaging; rheumatic heart disease; Rheumatic Heart Disease - complications; Rheumatic Heart Disease - diagnostic imaging; Thrombosis - complications; Thrombosis - diagnostic imaging
• ISSN: 0742-2822; 1540-8175
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1540-8175.2001.00159.x

A 42‐year‐old woman with chronic mitral stenosis was admitted for progressive dyspnea, palpitation, and weakness of lower extremities. Echocardiography revealed rheumatic, thickened, and stenotic mitral and aortic valves, and two free‐floating ball thrombi were detected in the left atrium and ventricle, respectively. She died suddenly the next day, probably due to mitral or aortic outflow obstruction by the ball thrombi. We believe that the occurrence of free‐floating ball thrombi in both the left atrium and left ventricle concomitantly has never been reported.