A rare congenital anomaly: Anomalous fibromuscular cord of the left atrium.

BACKGROUND

Left atrial anomalous fibromuscular cord is a rare congenital anomaly, which exists in a small proportion of the general population. Although its clinical significance remains largely unknown, it is generally considered a benign entity. We report a case of incidental finding of left atrial fibromuscular cord without structural cardiac abnormalities or hemodynamic obstruction.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A-39-year-old female presented with palpitations for more than 10 years. Electrocardiogram and laboratory tests showed no unremarkable. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed an abnormal linear structure connecting the interatrial septum and the left atrial free wall, color Doppler flow imaging did not show hemodynamic obstruction. Cardiac contrast-enhanced computed tomography images showed the string-like structure associated with calcification, connecting the interatrial septum and the ridge around the orifice of the left inferior pulmonary vein. Sagittal multiplanar reconstructed image showed a dot-like structure located in the left atrial cavity.

DISCUSSION

Left atrial anomalous fibromuscular cord is a rare congenital anomaly, which is also known as left atrial anomalous fibromuscular cord, left atrial false tendon, accessory chordae tendineae, or left atrial aberrant band. The clinical significance is unclear. Some cases have been reported that the fibromuscular cord, which do not have pathological significance. It has also been reported that it may be associated with supraventricular arrhythmias, patent foramen ovale, and Chiai's network. In some patients, attachment to the mitral chord can lead to mitral valve insufficiency and murmur. Nevertheless, a detailed understanding the anomalous anatomical characteristics of the anomalous cord may help us to better predict an unexpected difficulty in catheter manipulation, and potential arrhythmogenicity.

CONCLUSION

Transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography angiography have an important imaging value for the diagnosis of the left atrial anomalous fibromuscular cord, including its origin, course, or whether associated with other cardiovascular malformations.