How does echocardiography compare to angiocardiography for the detection of left atrial thrombus in patients with mitral stenosis?
While echocardiography can detect large clots in the left atrial body, transseptal left atriography is required for definite diagnosis of clots in the left atrial appendage in patients with mitral stenosis.
Diagnostic capabilities for detection of the left atrial clot in patients with mitral stenosis were compared between echocardiography and angiocardiography. Large clots in the left atrial body were correctly diagnosed either by echocardiography or by angiocardiography. Clots in the left atrial appendage were not disclosed by echocardiography. Left atrial visualization with pulmonary arteriography offers only possible diagnosis of the clot in the appendage. Definite diagnosis of the clot in this location requires transseptal left atriography.
Furuse et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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