Diagnosis of left atrial appendage thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation: delayed contrast-enhanced cardiac CT

ConclusionA CCT protocol adding a 6-min delayed phase to the angiographic phase can be considered optimized for the diagnosis of LAA thrombi, with a low radiation dose.Key Points• In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation referred for ablation procedures, a cardiac CT examination comprising an angiographic-phase acquisition and, in case of filling defects, a 6-min delayed phase may help reduce the need for transesophageal echocardiography.• Cardiac CT would provide morphological and volumetric data, along with the potential to exclude the presence of thrombi in the left atrial appendage.
Source: European Radiology - Category: Radiology Source Type: research