Key result
Inverted left atrial appendage can mimic a left atrial thrombus after pediatric cardiac surgery.
Why the study?
An unexpected left atrial mass after cardiac surgery in an infant can be misdiagnosed, and its echocardiographic appearance requires clarification.
This case highlights the echocardiographic appearance of an inverted left atrial appendage, which can mimic a thrombus or mass post-cardiac surgery.
An unexpected left atrial mass was found during routine postoperative transthoracic echocardiogram in an infant following surgical closure of ventricular septal defect. Thrombus could not be excluded. At reoperation it was found to be an inverted left atrial appendage. This case demonstrates the echocardiographic appearance of an inverted left atrial appendage.
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Slavík et al. (1994) studied this question. An inverted left atrial appendage can present as an unexpected left atrial mass mimicking a thrombus on postoperative echocardiogram following cardiac surgery in an infant.
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