Preoperative Angiocardiography Diagnosis of Left Atrial Thrombi in Mitral Stenosis

THE preoperative clinical diagnosis of left atrial thrombi is difficult. A history of systemic embolization does not necessarily indicate the presence of an atrial thrombus. A reliable method of diagnosing such thrombi in mitral stenosis before surgery is needed, because the presence of clot influences the choice of surgical technic and the operative risk. This report describes our experience with pulmonary-artery angiocardiography in the diagnosis of left atrial thrombi in 113 patients with mitral stenosis. Materials and Methods The records were reviewed of all 113 patients with predominant mitral stenosis who had cardiac catheterization with pulmonary-artery angiocardiography between July 1, . . .