Background-—Left atrial appendage (LAA) exclusion has been performed in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to prevent thrombus formation and subsequent cardioembolic events. Left atrial electrical remodeling is a recognized factor in the recurrence of AF. The effects of LAA exclusion on P-wave characteristics and left atrial electrical remodeling have not been well described. The purpose of...

A 69-year-old woman with a history of atypical chest pain was referred for coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography study with a 64-detector row multidetector CT scanner (LightSpeed VCT, GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, Wis). Imaging was performed after multiphasic injection of nonionic contrast media (Omnipaque 350, GE Healthcare) into the right antecubital vein at a rate of 4.0 mL/s through a ...

A R D I O E M B O L I C S T R O K E S A R E R E S P O N S I B L E for more than 20% of all ischemic trokes. The examination of atrial sources of cardioembolic strokes has focused almost exclusively on he left atrial appendage (LAA) and the pathophysiology of thrombus formation at this site is well nderstood. However, especially in rheumatic heart disease, thrombi can occur in the left atrium (L...

Cardiac rupture after blunt trauma is rare and associated with high mortality. The anatomic pattern of blunt cardiac rupture has been demonstrated with the right cardiac chambers more frequently affected than the left. Furthermore, left atrial injury is usually restricted to the atrial appendage and the pulmonary vein-atrial junction. Herein, we report the first case of a 61-year old man with a...