ABSTRACT
The origin of 20% of ischemic strokes is a left ventricular thrombus. We report two patients with strokes originating from cardiac thrombi, treated in two different ways. A 42-year-old diabetic man admitted with a left parietal and occipital stroke. An echocardiogram showed a left ventricular thrombus. The patient was subjected to a surgical cardiac revascularization procedure and left ventricular thrombectomy. The postoperative evolution was uneventful and the patient was discharged on oral anticoagulation. On ambulatory follow up, no neurological deterioration was evidenced. A 38-year-old male admitted with an acute ischemic stroke, was subjected to thrombolysis with human plasminogen activator. An echocardiogram showed a left ventricular thrombus, considered the cause of the stroke. The patient was anticoagulated with heparin and discharged ten days after admission with oral anticoagulation. A new echocardiogram performed one month later, did not show the left ventricular thrombus.