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Stroke, Vol 19, 393-396, Copyright © 1988 by American Heart Association

ARTICLES

Benign disappearance of ventricular thrombus after embolic stroke. A case report

LD DeWitt, MS Pessin, NG Pandian, SG Paulker, FA Sonnenberg and LR Caplan
Department of Neurology, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.

The source for a patient's middle cerebral artery territory embolic stroke was found by echocardiography to be a left ventricular cardiac thrombus. The apical mass was large, pedunculated, and moved with systole into the ventricular cavity. The absence of ventricular dyskinesia was thought to favor a tumor, and surgery was considered before repeat echocardiography showed disappearance of the mass, making thrombus the likely diagnosis. No further embolic events occurred during or since the disappearance of the thrombus while on anticoagulation therapy. Serial echocardiography for change in or disappearance of a ventricular mass may be critical in distinguishing thrombus from tumor.