Left atrial abnormalities and complex aortic plaque correlate with the risk of thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation

Correlation of clinical risk for thromboembolism (TE) and transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) findings in 786 patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients were deemed to be at high risk if they had one or more of the following clinical features: prior TE, women >75 years of age, systolic blood pressure >160 mmHg, and heart failure or poor left ventricular function. Patients with none of these features were either at low risk or, if they had a history of hypertension, moderate risk. Panel A: There was an increasing incidence of a left atrial appendage (LAA) abnormality (thrombus, dense spontaneous echo contrast, or flow velocity ≤20 cm/s) or a complex aortic plaque risk with increasing clinical risk of TE. Panel B: The frequency of LAA abnormalities and complex aortic plaque in patients with a single high risk factor.