Cardioscopic detection of left ventricular thrombi. -With special reference to a comparison with left ventriculography and echocardiography-.

BACKGROUND

Thrombosis occurs in the left ventricle and causes ischemic cerebral attacks. However, differences in the incidence of left ventricular thrombi (LVT) among various categories of heart diseases are not known.

METHODS AND

RESULTS

From April 2000 to 31 March 2008, 258 patients (104 females and 154 males; age 63 ± 6 years) with a heart disease underwent cardioscopy of the left ventricle. LVT were detected by cardioscopy in 78 of 258 patients; 12.5% of 57 patients with stable angina, 0% of 9 with unstable angina, 45.2% of 42 with acute myocardial infarction, 23.2% of 43 with old myocardial infarction, 61.9% of 21 with idiopathic acute myocarditis, 44.3% of 68 with idiopathic chronic myocarditis, 33.3% of 6 with rheumatic valvular disease, 25.7% of 31 with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and in 8.0% of 12 with idiopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Nine of 78 thrombi were globular and 69 were mural. The detection rate of LVT by cardioscopy, left venticulography, non-contrast and contrast echocardiography was 30.2%, 2.7%, 1.9% and 7.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

LVT were frequently detected by cardioscopy in patients with heart diseases. Although invasive, cardioscopy was more sensitive in detecting LVT than left ventriculography, and non-contrast and contrast echocardiography.