Intraluminal Thrombus Attached to the Lesser Curvature of the Aortic Arch and Cerebral Ischemic Stroke after Its Surgical Removal

Some cases of thrombi at the ascending and descending aorta have been reported, but there are only a few reports of intraluminal aortic arch thrombi. Most intraluminal thrombi are associated with atherosclerotic lesions at the aortic wall. Here, we report a case of an intraluminal thrombus attached to the lesser curvature of the aortic arch. The thrombus was successfully and completely excised, and the pathologic study suggested no obvious atherosclerotic changes in the aortic wall. Two months after surgical removal of the thrombus, the patient suffered a severe cerebral ischemic stroke caused by a newly formed thromboembolism in the innominate artery.