When Hindsight Is 20/20: Stiff Left Atrium Syndrome Masquerading as Mitral Regurgitation

Christopher Selleck; Thomas Noel; Gregory Hartlage; Chien-Yi Williams; Wayne Batchelor

doi:10.1016/j.jaccas.2019.09.021

When Hindsight Is 20/20: Stiff Left Atrium Syndrome Masquerading as Mitral Regurgitation

JACC Case Rep. 2019 Dec 18;1(4):648-651. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2019.09.021. eCollection 2019 Dec.

Authors

Christopher Selleck¹, Thomas Noel², Gregory Hartlage², Chien-Yi Williams³, Wayne Batchelor⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Hospital Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Weston, Florida.
² Department of Cardiology, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, Tallahassee, Florida.
³ Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, Tallahassee, Florida.
⁴ Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, Fairfax, Virginia.

Abstract

Scarring from atrial ablation carries a risk of developing stiff left atrium syndrome, which can mimic mitral valve disease. We present a case of a 73-year-old man whose stiff left atrium syndrome came to light after percutaneous mitral valve repair. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Keywords: AF, atrial fibrillation; ASD, atrial septal defect; LA, left atrial; LV, left ventricular; MR, mitral regurgitation; PCWP, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure; RF, radiofrequency; SLAS, stiff left atrial syndrome; ablation; atrial fibrillation; mitral valve; pulmonary hypertension; valve repair.

Publication types

Case Reports