Ischemic stroke as an uncommon complication of Cor triatriatum

Abstract

Cor triatriatum (CT) is a rare congenital heart disease characterized by a fibromuscular membrane that divides the left atrium into two distinct chambers and mostly manifests during infancy mimicking mitral valve stenosis. We present the uncommon case of cardioembolic ischemic stroke in an adult man on the grounds of an otherwise asymptomatic CT with intra-atrial thrombus formation, which was established by means of transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Because exact diagnosis and surgical treatment is feasible, we suggest CT as a rare, but potentially treatable source of cerebral embolism in adult patients with stroke and dilatated left atrium.