Imaging of Left Heart Intracardiac Thrombus: Clinical Needs, Current Imaging, and Emerging Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Techniques

Overview

Journal Ther Adv Cardiovasc Dis

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialties Cardiology & Vascular Diseases
Pharmacology

Date 2022 Jun 28

PMID 35762763

Authors

Peng Chang

Jiayu Xiao

Zhehao Hu

Alan C Kwan

Zhaoyang Fan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Intracardiac thrombus in the left atrium and atrial appendage (LA/LAA) and left ventricle (LV) increases the risk of systemic thromboembolism and causes potentially devastating diseases such as ischemic stroke and acute ischemia in abdominal organs and lower extremities. Detecting the presence and monitoring the resolution of left heart intracardiac thrombus are of vital importance for stratifying patients and guiding treatment decisions. Currently, echocardiography is the most frequently used method for the above clinical needs, followed by computed tomography. An increasing number of studies have been performed to investigate the value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) as an alternative imaging modality given its several unique strengths. This article provides an overview of the clinical relevance of the LA/LAA and LV thrombus as well as the diagnostic performance of the current imaging modalities and emerging CMR techniques.

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