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Ann Thorac Surg 2002;74:1691-1694
© 2002 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Case report

Paroxysmal postural dyspnea related to a left atrial ball thrombus

^a Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hôpital Nord-CHU, Saint-Etienne, France
^b Department of Echocardiography, Hôpital Cardiologique-CHU, Lille, France

Accepted for publication May 30, 2002.

* Address reprint requests to Dr Grandmougin, Service de Chirurgie Cardiovasculaire, Hôpital Nord-CHU, Pr X. Barral, 42055 Saint-Etienne, Cedex 2, France.
e-mail: daniel-grandmougin{at}wanadoo.fr

We report herein an uncommon clinical observation of a 82-year-old woman with paroxysmal postural dyspnea related to a giant ball-thrombus located in the left atrium and partly protruding through the mitral orifice. No mitral stenosis was otherwise disclosed. The patient had a previous medical history of chronic atrial fibrillation without any anticoagulant therapy. The atrial mass was easily removed and the postoperative course was uneventful. Disclosure of such a free-floating ball-thrombus in the left atrial cavity requires prompt surgical treatment because of high risks of acute hemodynamic decompensation due to obstruction of the left ventricular inflow or, more rarely, systemic embolic events.

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