AI Article Synopsis
- LA spontaneous echo contrast, or "smoke," is a common echo finding characterized by swirling echoes in the left atrium, often associated with conditions that cause blood stasis like atrial fibrillation and mitral stenosis.
- It serves as a marker for previous embolic events in patients with such conditions and is commonly found alongside left atrial thrombi.
- Recent studies suggest that LA smoke indicates a hypercoagulable state due to factors like increased fibrinogen and blood viscosity, hinting at a link between hematologic factors, erythrocyte aggregation, and the risk of thromboembolism.
Article Abstract
Left atrial (LA) spontaneous echo contrast, also known as "smoke," is a frequent transesophageal echocardiographic finding characterized by swirling, smokelike echoes in the LA cavity or appendage. LA smoke is associated with conditions favoring stasis of LA blood, including atrial fibrillation, mitral stenosis, the absence of mitral regurgitation, and LA enlargement. LA spontaneous echo contrast is a marker of previous embolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation, mitral stenosis, or mitral valve replacement. Most LA thrombi are accompanied by smoke. Recent studies show that LA spontaneous echo contrast is also associated with increased fibrinogen, hematocrit, and blood viscosity, indicating a relatively hypercoagulable state in addition to stasis. These findings suggest that LA spontaneous echo contrast is a manifestation of erythrocyte aggregation, and that hematologic factors may contribute to the association between spontaneous echo contrast and thromboembolism.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-8175.1993.tb00054.x | DOI Listing |
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