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Background/Objective: Whether left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) on chronic anticoagulation significantly increases cardiovascular risk is unknown. This study aimed to assess LAAT prevalence and its predictive role in cardiovascular events among consecutive anticoagulated patients with AF admitted for electrical cardioversion. Methods: This prospective study included 500 patients. The primary outcome was LAAT on transesophageal echocardiography. Patients were followed up for a median of 1927.5 (interquartile range 1004-2643) days to assess cardiovascular events. Results: LAAT was detected in 65 (13%) patients. No significant differences in stroke, transient ischemic attack, systemic thromboembolic events, or myocardial infarction prevalence were observed between patients with AF with and without LAAT. Hospitalization for heart failure (HF) was more frequent in patients with LAAT than in those without LAAT; however, the effect of LAAT on HF hospitalization was not statistically significant. Patients with LAAT had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular death than those without LAAT. LAAT and greater left atrial (LA) diameter were associated with higher rates of cardiovascular death. The independent HF hospitalization predictors were greater LA diameter, lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Conclusions: Patients with AF who received anticoagulation therapy showed a high prevalence of LAAT. LAAT and greater LA diameter were associated with significantly higher rates of cardiovascular death. LAAT, greater LA diameter, lower LVEF, and lower eGFR were associated with poor prognosis in anticoagulated patients with AF and were predictors of disease severity.

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BACKGROUND Caseous calcification of the mitral annulus (CCMA) is an uncommon form of mitral annular calcification and can be misdiagnosed as heart abscess, neoplasm, or other lesions occupying the atrioventricular groove. Data regarding imaging follow-up of patients with CCMA are limited. This report presents a case of CCMA with a 3-year imaging follow-up. CASE REPORT A 66-year-old asymptomatic woman was referred to our cardiology department for further evaluation of a rapidly expanding intracardiac mass observed using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in an outpatient setting. A neoplasm was suspected. Echocardiographic examination was normal 5 years ago, and 2 years later, TTE revealed an echodense structure (10×10 mm) occupying the atrioventricular groove. Three years later, TTE revealed an increase in the size of the lesion (21×18 mm) and a mild acoustic shadow. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed a pathological mass (20×20×37 mm) in the posterior portion of the mitral annulus that extended into the left ventricle. Using computed tomography, a round mass (20×19×39 mm) with a demarcated area of calcification was revealed in the posterior portion of the mitral annulus. Thus, the intracardiac mass was diagnosed as CCMA. Although there was a considerable increase in lesion size (doubling of lesion size within 3 years), normal intracardiac flow and asymptomatic course of the disease remained. Therefore, this patient underwent conservative management with imaging follow-up. CONCLUSIONS In cases of atypical presentation of CCMA, multimodal imaging may provide an accurate diagnosis and important information regarding the course of the disease.

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INTRODUCTION: Left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) is a risk factor for stroke; however, the actual health risk associated with LAAT in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) on chronic anticoagulation is unknown. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of LAAT, and its predictive role in relation to mortality, stroke, and systemic thromboembolic events among consecutive AF patients on oral anticoagulation (OAC) admitted for electrical cardioversion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, single­ center cohort study. The participants underwent transesophageal echocardiography before electrical cardioversion. A total of 296 patients were enrolled. The primary outcome was the presence of LAAT. All participants were followed for 12 months to evaluate the incidence of systemic thromboembolic events, stroke, and death. RESULTS: Despite uninterrupted OAC in patients with AF of above 48-hour duration scheduled for cardio-version, we found a high prevalence of LAAT, reaching 14.5%. There was no difference in the prevalence of thrombi between different types of OAC (P = 0.26). The independent predictors of LAAT were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, prior myocardial infarction, greater left atrial diameter, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, higher CHA2DS2­VASc score, and reduced dabigatran dose. The optimal cutoff values for the prediction of LAAT were the age of at least 74 years, left atrial diameter equal or greater than 52 mm, left ventricular ejection fraction equal or lower than 40%, and CHA2DS2­VASc score equal or greater than 3. No strokes or systemic thromboembolic events occurred over the follow­up period. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of LAAT had no practical value for predicting stroke, thromboembolic events, or death in patients with AF and on chronic anticoagulation.

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BACKGROUND Primary cardiac and pericardial neoplasms are rare and may be found incidentally on echocardiography. We present a case of a 5-year imaging follow-up in a patient with a large posterior pericardial lipoma diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging of the mediastinum. CASE REPORT A 64-year-old woman was admitted to the Department of Cardiology for detailed assessment due to an intrapericardial mass revealed on transthoracic echocardiography in an outpatient setting. Computed tomography revealed a capsulated posterior intrapericardial homogenous mass of fat density. There was no enhancement of the lesion with contrast agent administration. Ultimately, magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the benign nature of the tumor, leading to the intrapericardial mass being classified as a lipoma. Due to the clinical features of the lesion - the preserved intracardiac flow and the asymptomatic course of the disease - conservative treatment was appropriate for this patient. A 5-year imaging follow-up was uneventful, the patient remained asymptomatic, a mild tumor growth was identified by computed tomography, and there was still no recommendation for surgery. CONCLUSIONS This case has shown that although echocardiography and computed tomography imaging can identify posterior intrapericardial tumors, magnetic resonance imaging can identify diagnostic features and support the benign nature of a tumor that may not be amenable to surgical removal.

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BACKGROUND In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the presence of a left atrial thrombus correlates with the highest risk of stroke. Mitral stenosis (MS) is an acquired disease that leads to atrial pressure overload and subsequent significant anatomical and electrical remodeling of the left atrium. This promotes the occurrence of AF and atrial thrombus formation. Proper anticoagulation decreases the stroke risk in AF patients. Unfortunately, there is insufficient data on the effectiveness of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in patients with AF and MS. CASE REPORT We present a case of 64-year-old woman referred for electrical cardioversion (CV) due to symptomatic AF. She was administered an apixaban for stroke prevention, but she missed the scheduled echocardiography prior to referral. Imaging performed on-site revealed a giant left atrial thrombus and moderate MS. High mobility of the intracardiac mass together with moderate AS and MS were assessed as significant predictors of distal embolization. The patient underwent mitral valve replacement with the thrombus removal. Her further recovery was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS Mitral stenosis significantly affects the anticoagulant selection in patients with atrial fibrillation. Thus, echocardiography is mandatory if the first diagnosis is atrial fibrillation to exclude contraindications for NOAC therapy.

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INTRODUCTION: Arterial cannulation is inherently associated with a risk of vascular complications including pseudoaneurysm (psA) that are encountered in both radial and femoral artery access. Among various methods of treatment of pseudoaneurysm the most popular are: watchful waiting for a spontaneous resolution, ultrasound-guided compression, ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (UGTI) and surgical treatment. In many previous reports nonsurgical methods appeared to be effective in most cases. AIM: To evaluate the incidence, characteristics as well as treatment scheme of iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms in a single high-volume cardiovascular intervention center. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study is a prospective analysis of femoral artery and radial artery pseudoaneurysm cases in a 6-year period (2015-2020) in Swietokrzyskie Cardiology Centre in Kielce, Poland. Analysis of baseline characteristics, treatment and outcomes of all pseudoaneurysm cases was performed. RESULTS: Among a total number of 7268 cardiovascular procedures, with 49.2% being of the radial approach, we diagnosed 113 cases of psA. Global prevalence of femoral artery pseudoaneurysm was 1.29% and that of radial artery pseudoaneurysm was 0.30%. Only 2 patients with femoral puncture were primarily qualified for surgical treatment due to large size of the pseudoaneurysm. The vast majority of patients underwent successful nonsurgical therapy with the major predominance of the UGTI procedure. Effectiveness of the first thrombin injection was as high as 90% in RPA and 85% in FPA, whereas all of the consecutive attempts were successful. CONCLUSIONS: UGTI is nowadays a very effective and safe method of iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm treatment that prevents further necessary surgical procedures.

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