Key result
Multimodal imaging with TEE and CCT identifies rare congenital absence of the LAA.
Why the study?
Congenital absence of the left atrial appendage is an exceptionally rare cardiac anomaly.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Complementary multimodal imaging with TEE and CCT is highly effective and recommended for definitively diagnosing the extremely rare anomaly of congenital left atrial appendage absence.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Incidental congenital LAA absence in AF warrants individualized anticoagulation decisions; leaves open thromboembolic risk implications for this rare anomaly.
Congenital absence of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is an exceptionally rare cardiac anomaly. We reported a patient in his 60s with symptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) and no history of cardiac surgery or other diseases. During preprocedural evaluation for AF cardioversion, transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography revealed a complete absence of the LAA. The patient was managed with regular anticoagulation therapy and maintained in sinus rhythm, without recurrence or related complications during a 1-year follow-up.
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wang et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Congenital absence of left atrial appendage and persistent atrial fibrillation (n=1). Multimodal imaging (Transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography) was evaluated on Detection of congenital absence of the left atrial appendage and clinical outcomes at 1 year. Multimodal imaging with TEE and CCT incidentally revealed a complete congenital absence of the left atrial appendage in a 60-year-old male with persistent atrial fibrillation.
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