TEE Detection of Aortic Atheroma in Patients with Cerebral Infarction

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The atheroma in aorta has been emphasized as a potential source of cerebral embolism after the wide use of TEE. But in Korea there has been no report on the frequency of the aortic atheroma in patients with cerbral infarctions. METHODS: Using transesophageal echocardiography, we evaluated aortic atheroma in the thoracic aorta of 44 patients with cerbral infarctions. The aortic atheroma was defined as a raised lesion with an irregular surface of echo shadow. RESULTS: The aortic atheromas were detected in 7 patients(16%) out of 44 patients with cerebral infarction. However, it were detected in only 3 patients out of 71 patients without cerebral infarction. The size of the lesions reaged from 6mm to 16mm(mean 10+/-3.5) and mobility were seen in 2 patients. The lesions were distributed throughout the thoracic aorta. CONCLUSION: Aortic atheroma is a potential source of cerebral infarction. TEE is a useful procedure for the evaluation of the patients with an undetermined cause of cerebral infarction.