Echocardiographic mimicker of thrombus on a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis due to cavitation: A paradoxical phenomenon of pressure recovery.

ABSTRACT

We describe a case of a mass-like echocardiographic density on a mechanical prosthetic aortic valve. We initially suspected a thrombus vs vegetation on transthoracic echocardiography, but after transesophageal echocardiography, the density was subsequently determined to be cavitation by reviewing the initial images in slow motion.