THROMBUS OF THE THORACIC AORTA AS A SOURC E OF PERIPHERAL EMBOLISM DIAGNOSED BY TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

The authors report the cases of two patients, with no risk factors for thromboembolism, in whom a movile thrombus of the thoracic aorta was diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography, after an episode of sys temic embolism. The outcomes of the two cases were very different, In one patient the thrombus was no longer present after anticoagulant tre atment with no recurrent embolic event. The other patient had a new em bolic event and the thrombus persisted while having anticoagulant ther apy, This patient underwent surgery, and the thrombus was removed. The se cases illustrate the value of transesophageal echocardiography in t he detection of embolic source.