TEE provides a diagnostic advantage over TTE in accurately identifying cardiac myxomas that simulate thrombi in patients with mitral stenosis.
TEE may clarify myxoma versus thrombus when TTE is equivocal; hypothesis-generating for routine use in mitral stenosis.
We report the case of a 56-year-old woman with a history of rheumatic heart disease. The clinical, electrocardiographic, and radiologic findings suggested mitral stenosis. Left atrial obstructive myxoma simulating a thrombus was found by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). The diagnosis was established by use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), confirmed after surgery and by anatomical investigation. Cardiac myxoma associated with mitral stenosis may be difficult to diagnose accurately using TTE. The advantage of TEE in this case and in patients with mitral stenosis is emphasized.
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Mahdhaoui et al. (2004) studied this question.
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