Publications of Faculty of Medicine:ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SPONTANEOUS ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC CONTRAST INDESCENDINGAORTAAND PLATELET FACTOR4ANDD-DIMERIN PATIENTSWITHNON-RHEUMATIC ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: Abstract

The aimofthis study was to determine the relationship between spon taneous echocardiographic contrast in the descending thoracic aorta and plasma levels ofplateletfactor 4 (PF4) and D-dimer as hemostatic mark ers in patients with nonrheumatic atrialfibrillation. Tliis study included 60patients (mean age, 58+3 years; 34 males) with non-rheumatic chronic atricd fibrillation who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Plasma levels ofPF4 as a measure ofplatelet activation and Ddimer as an index ofthrorhbogenesiswere determined on the day ofTEE. 27 patients who had aortic spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (Ao- SEC) were older (61 years vs 57 years; p<0.05) than 33 patients without AoSEC. D-dimer levels were significantly higher in patients with AoSEC than in thosewithoutAoSEC, whereas PF4 was not different betweenthe two groups. Although the prevalence ofprior cerebral embolism did not differ between the two groups ^22% inpatients withAoSEC vs 18% inpa tientswithoutAoSEC), theprevalence ofperipheral arterial embolismwas higher in patients withAoSEC than in those withoutAoSEC (11% vs 0%; p<0.05). The LA appendagepeakflow velocity was significantly lower in patients with AoSEC than in those without AoSEC.