Neither Here nor There: Intracardiac Thrombus in Transit Wedged in a Patent Foramen Ovale

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is common (27% of the population1) but frequently asymptomatic. Intracardiac thrombus in transit (TinT) wedged in a PFO is associated with high mortality (30-day mortality of 18.4%, with 62.5% of deaths during the first 24 hours of presentation2), and morbidity (isolated pulmonary [53%], isolated systemic [7%], or combined [40%] embolism3). Diagnosis of TinT is often presumptive given the lack of thrombus visualization at the time of investigational echocardiography. Surgical extraction, systemic anticoagulation, and thrombolysis are potential therapeutic approaches, with no consensus on optimal treatment strategy, particularly for incidentally discovered TinT.
Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Letter to the editor Source Type: research