Taenia cordis

Taenia cordis

Mobile thrombi detected by echocardiography in right heart has been called Taenia cordis. In live imaging, the movement of the thrombus has been likened to that of a tapeworm and hence the name. Usually it occurs along with massive pulmonary embolism and generally indicates a poor prognosis. But resolution with anticoagulation therapy and uneventful recovery has also been reported in literature [1]. In that case it was treated conservatively with heparin and warfarin.

Pulmonary embolus in transit is always a rare catch on echocardiography. As the transit is usually very fast, only if the imaging coincides with the exact time of transit will it be possible to record the embolus in right heart chambers.

Reference

1. Schliamser JE, Shiran A. Taenia cordis. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2007 Dec;20(12):1418.e9-11.