Free-floating ball thrombus in the left atrium after mitral valve replacement: successful surgical management.

A free-floating ball thrombus in the left atrium is a rare clinical problem with potentially catastrophic consequences. Thus, early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention are mandatory. Free ball-valve thrombus within the left atrium developed in a patient who had undergone mitral valve replacement with a Starr-Edwards prosthesis seven years previously. The diagnosis was accurately made by two-dimensional echocardiography and was followed by successful removal of a thrombus. A review of the literature is presented.