Management of left atrial appendage thrombus before percutaneous closure: Case report

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and is associated with a significant risk of stroke, the primary source of thromboembolism in AF is the left atrial appendage (LAA) 1. Clinical, anatomical, and functional factors influence thrombus formation in the LAA despite therapeutic anticoagulation2. Percutaneous LAA closure (LAAC) provides an alternative for patients with contraindications to anticoagulation, high bleeding risk, or failure of oral anticoagulation therapy. However, the presence of thrombus in the LAA is considered a contraindication for LAAC and is an exclusion criterion in most major trials2,3.