[The echocardiographic aspects of a ball thrombus in left atrium (author's transl)].

The echo aspects of a ball thrombus in the left atrium were examined in M-mode in a patient suffering from mitral steno-insufficiency and progressed myocardial infarct of the antero-lateral wall. The first examination revealed a mass in the left atrium which did not follow the cardiac cycle. This finding was probably due to the absence of a peduncle thus the mass was relatively free to move in the left atrium. The data, therefore, seemed to favour the diagnosis of an organized thrombus and not of myxoma. Since the thrombotic mass did not interfere with the movements of the anterior mitral valve, the reduced slope of the E-F tract could be attributed to a coexisting involvement of the valve. The second examination revealed an echocardiographic finding which could not be differentiated from a myxoma of the left atrium, because the mass possessed the cyclic movement. The bidimensional approach (mechanical Sector Scanner) gave further elements for a diagnosis of ball thrombus, since all echo reflecting formations characteristic of peduncles attached to the interatrial septum could be excluded. The histological specimen confirmed the diagnosis.