Small Left Atrium: An Adjunctive Sign of Hemodynamically Compromised Massive Pulmonary Embolism.
10.3349/ymj.2005.46.5.733
- Author:
Yukihiro HAMA
1
;
Tadayuki YAKUSHIJI
;
Yoshie IWASAKI
;
Tatsumi KAJI
;
Naoei ISOMURA
;
Shoichi KUSANO
Author Information
1. National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA. yjhama2005@yahoo.co.jp
- Publication Type:Brief Communication ; Case Reports ; Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
- Keywords:
Diagnostic imaging;
cardiac output;
computed tomography;
echocardiography;
thrombolytic therapy
- MeSH:
Tomography, X-Ray Computed;
Pulmonary Embolism/diagnosis/*pathology;
Male;
Humans;
Heart Atria/*pathology;
Echocardiography;
Dilatation, Pathologic;
Adult
- From:Yonsei Medical Journal
2005;46(5):733-736
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common disease with a high mortality rate due to right ventricular dysfunction and underfilling of the left ventricle. We present a case of a 33-year-old man with hemodynamically compromised massive PE. His left atrium was collapsed with marked dilatation of the right atrium and ventricle on multi-detector-row CT scans. The patient was treated with an intracatheter injection of a mutant tissue-type plasminogen activator and subsequently showed clinical and radiological improvements. The small left atrial size in combination with a right ventricular pressure overload was considered to be an adjunctive sign of hemodynamically compromised massive PE.
