Malignant Left Atrial Appendage Morphology: Current Classification vs H-L System

In non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF), more than 90% of thrombus formation occurs in the left atrial appendage (LAA).1-3 Current guidelines have established direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) as the treatment of choice in patients with AF and high risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), while vitamin K antagonists (VKA) can be considered in patients not suitable for DOACs.4,5 This strategy significantly reduces the risk of thromboembolism; however, there is a subset of patients that suffer recurrent embolic strokes despite appropriate anticoagulant therapy, known as malignant LAA.

Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - December 30, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Paloma Parra-D íaz, Luisa Salido-Tahoces, Ana Pardo-Sanz, Álvaro Beltrán-Corbellini, Fernando Rodríguez-Jorge, Juan Luis Chico-García, Sebastián García-Madrona, Consuelo Matute-Lozano, Rocío Vera-Lechuga, Antonio Cruz-Culebras, Jaime Masjuan, Alic Source Type: research