Left atrial dissection related to retrograde cardioplegia cannula insertion.

Left atrial dissection (LAD) is a rare complication and is defined as a gap from the mitral or tricuspid annular area to the interatrial septum or left atrial wall. Because of its low incidence, this entity is not fully understood. LAD is related to mitral valve surgery as well as coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, trauma, and tumors, and occurs spontaneously. Transesophageal echocardiography is the most useful diagnostic modality for LAD, but multimodality investigation supports accurate diagnosis. We experienced a case of LAD related to retrograde cardioplegia cannula insertion which was treated successfully with internal drainage.