AORTIC-ARCH AS SOURCE OF THROMBOEMBOLIC E VENTS - DIAGNOSTIC IMPACT OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

A 43-year-old woman presented with acute embolic occlusion of the left brachial artery. She was immediately treated by surgical embolectomy. After exclusion of other possible embolic sources, the transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic examination revealed a floating thrombus in the aortic arch. Thereupon an aortotomy and thrombectomy w as performed and showed a normal wall structure of the thoracic aorta except for a minimal ulcerated lesion of the intima at the aortic arch . This case confirmes that transthoracic and trans-esophageal echocard iography are the diagnostic methods of choice for detecting thromboemb olic sources originating in the heart or thoracic aorta.