Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Brief Clinical Note

Cardioembolic stroke due to mitral annular calcification with a mobile component

Hiroyuki Kawano, M.D.1), Tadashi Terasaki, M.D.2), Yoichiro Hashimoto, M.D.1), Masahiro Oe, M.D.3), Teruyuki Hirano, M.D.4) and Makoto Uchino, M.D.4)

1)Department of Neurology
2)Department of Strokology, and
3)Department of Cardiovascular surgery, Kumamoto City Hospital
4)Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University

We report here a 50-year-old man on maintenance hemodialysis who presents right hemiparesis, aphasia. MRI diffusion weighted image showed an increased signal intensity in the area of the left middle cerebral artery. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography revealed a mitral annular calcification (MAC) with a mobile component. After treated with heparin, follow-up echocardiography demonstrated a decrease in the size of the mobile component, but not disappeared. Intraoperative findings showed calcified attachment on the posterior mitral valve. This patient was diagnosed as having cardioembolic stroke due to a MAC with a mobile component.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 45: 383|385, 2005)
key words: brain infarction, mitral annular calcification, transesophageal echocardiography, anticoagulation, dialysis

(Received: 9-Aug-04)