Severe left atrium calcification (heart within a heart)

Giant left atrium mimicking right heart failure.

Yudkin JS, Klein S, Coppack SW. Subcutaneous adipose tissue releases interleukin-6, but not tumor necrosis factor-falphag, in vivo. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997;82:4196–4200. 45. Barzilay JI, Forsberg C, Heckbert SR, Cushman M, Newman AB. The association of markers of inflammation with weight change in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study. Int J Obes 2006; 30:1362–1367. 46. Duncan BB, ...

Heart within a Heart

Device based closure of the left atrial appendage (LAA) has emerged as a viable approach for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with contraindications to chronic oral anticoagulation. One of the most feared complications is device related thrombus formation. We present a 66-year-old male with chronic AF who developed a life-threatening intracranial bleed on oral anti-coagula...

Function over form? Assessing the left atrium in heart failure.

The understanding of heart failure (HF) haemodynamics has traditionally focused on left ventricular (LV) structure and function, with the left atrium being viewed simply as a passive transport chamber that empties into the left ventricle. Over the last decade, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of left atrial (LA) structure and function in the pathophysiology of HF. LA volu...

Giant left and right atrium: spectrum of rheumatic heart disease.

To cite: Mahla H, Bhairappa S, Chikkamuniswamy R, et al. BMJ Case Rep Published online: [please include Day Month Year] doi:10.1136/ bcr-2013-201853 DESCRIPTION A 19-year-old man presented with New York Heart Association class II heart failure with a history of rheumatic fever in childhood. He was on regular penicillin prophylaxis, diuretics, vasodilators and β blockers. On examination there wa...

incremental value of left atrium two-dimensional strain in patients with heart failure