A Case of Coumadin Ridge Confirmed by Surgery: Comparison between Cardiac Computed Tomographic Images and Operative Findings

Abstract

The coumadin ridge, a ridge of atrial tissue separating the left atrial appendage from the left upper pulmonary vein, is considered to be a normal anatomic variant. A prominent coumadin ridge can be easily mistaken for a tumor or thrombus. In the present case, a left atrial mass was noted on echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography (CT) in a 66-year-old female patient with a history of stroke who experienced chest pain. Therefore, we considered performing a surgery to remove the mass to prevent a recurrence of cerebral infarction, and the mass was confirmed to be a coumadin ridge rather than an actual tumor or thrombus. The findings from the subsequent CT image reconstruction were consistent with the operative findings. We present a surgically confirmed case of coumadin ridge that was consistent with the reconstructed CT image.

Keywords

• tomography
• x-ray computed
• heart
• heart atria