. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Correlation between left atrial app...

Juxtaposition of atrial appendages is a rare cardiac congenital anomaly, usually associated with other cardiac malformations. Until now, it has not been linked to any significant clinical implications. We report cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) findings of two adult patients who underwent atriopulmonary Fontan operation in the setting of left juxtaposition of the atrial appendages. The p...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a commonly sustained atrial arrhythmia with associated morbidity and mortality. AF is associated with increased risk of thromboembolism and stroke, requiring use of anticoagulation. Anticoagulation decreases the risk of stroke but is associated with a higher risk of bleeding, necessitating discontinuation in some patients. The left atrial appendage is the likely sour...

An 82-year-old woman with a history of previous cerebral infarction and atrial fibrillation was hospitalized with aphagia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a dot-like high signal intensity in the left occipital subcortex. With a working diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction due to cardiac emboli, trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) was performed. The TTE showed an oval shaped, mobile ...

The safety and efficacy of a left atrial appendage closure device is currently under evaluation in a large-scale multi-center clinical trial. We report an initial case of left atrial appendage occluder device infection with Staphylococcus aureus; transesophageal echocardiography played a pivotal role in diagnosis and treatment.

The membranes of the left atrial appendage cavity are very rare entity and their clinical significance is not clear. We reported a rare case of a non-obstructive membrane traversing the body of the left atrial appendage incidentally found in asymptomatic adult woman.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, and its prevalence is increasing. Cardioembolic stroke, most of the times secondary to thrombus formation in the left atrial appendage, is its most feared and life threatening consequence. Oral anticoagulation with vitamin-K-antagonists is currently the most used prophylaxis for stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation; unfortunately...

We present a case of left atrial appendage (LAA) aneurysm and atrial septal defect in a 1-year-old child without cardiovascular symptoms referred for cardiac murmurs and cardiomegaly and diagnosed by 2and 3-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. Subcostal and apical views showed a wide, fenestrated ostium secundum-type atrial septal defect with redundant septum (Fig. 1, arrow). The right-s...

The risk of embolic stroke is 5 times higher among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with those without AF. More than 90% of thrombi form in the left atrial appendage (LAA) in AF. The purpose of this review is to determine the efficacy and safety of the left atrial appendage (LAA) closure via a percutaneous LAA ligation approach, thus preventing a stroke among patients with AF and...

T he paper by Koskinas et al. (1) in this issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions describes a large series of left atrial appendage closures (LAAC) and very early outcomes data. The authors’ experience is admirable, dates back to the very beginning of endovascular LAAC, and incorporates a now obsolete device (Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Transcatheter Occlusion [PLAATO]) and a largely...