• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.9 s.254
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• pp.644-647
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• 2005

A free-floating ball thrombus in the left atrium that may cause fatal systemic emboli or left ventricular inflow obstruction, which often resulting in sudden death, is rarely seen. We describe a very unusual case of a patient with a large, free-floating left-atrial ball thrombus who underwent mechanical mitral valve replacement 7 years ago.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.237-244
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• 1993

A free-floating ball thrombus in the left atrium is a rare complication of the mitral valvular disease. A 53-year-old man was admitted for pain and paresthesia on both legs. On admission he had auscultatory sign of mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation, and the roentgenogram of his chest revealed a slight pulmonary venous congestion, enlargement of the pulmonary conus and cardiomegaly. Laboratory findings including complete blood counts, coagulation studies and blood chemistry were normal. An echocardiographic examination revealed a mitral stenosis and a free-floating ball thrombus in the left atrium. We performed the emergent open heart surgery for removal of the ball thrombus and mitral replacement successfully with Duromedics 29 mm valve. The size of thrombus was $39{\times}32{\times}30$ mm.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.315-326
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• 1977

From 1958 to October 1977, 294 cases of acquired heart disease were operated. There were 68 cases of pericardium, 3 trauma, 2 foreign body, one cardiac thrombus, 3 atrial myxoma, 2 left atrial and 1 right atrial, 2 Budd-Chiari syndrome, and 214 valvular heart disease. Out of 214 cases of valve operation 73 valves were replaced in 64 patients. Male to female ratio was 1.46: 1. The youngest age was 14 years in male and 18 in female. The oldest was 54 years in male and 52 in female. Fifty-five cases of single valve were replaced, consisting of 47 mitral and 8 aortic valves. There were 9 double valve replacement cases which consist of 7 mitral and aortic and 2 mitral .and tricuspid valves. Six varieties of prosthetic valves, 3 ball and 3 disc types and 3 kinds of xenograft tissue valves were utilized. Beall, BjSrk-Shiley and Starr-Edwards prosthetic valves and Hancock valves were used mainly. For single valve 34. 5% and for double valve replacement 44% mortality were noted. There were 23 operative deaths out of 64 patients, over all mortality rate of 36.9%. Mortality for mitral valve replacement was 29.5%. But in recent 12 consecutive cases one death occurred, showing 8.3% mortality. In earlier days thrombocyte anti-adhesive drug dipyramidole-persantin-aspirin and/or SP 54 were adminstered. But in recent cases after heparinization, coumadin and Persantin were prescribed routinely.