Mural thrombosis is a type of thrombosis that occurs in the endocardium, the tissue lining the heart’s chambers. It is caused by a disease rather than an injury and can lead to infarction, heart attack, and stroke. Diagnosis is difficult, but blood thinners such as heparin and warfarin are used for treatment.
Thrombosis is a term given to a set of conditions that involve the formation of an immobile blood clot called a thrombus. Mural thrombosis, which denotes a thrombus occurring in the endocardium, belongs to this category. This is a layer of tissue that lines the chambers of the heart. The term “mural thrombosis” is named after this wall-like version of the disease. It is also identified with the aorta, which connects to the left ventricle of the heart to supply oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.
A thrombus usually occurs as a result of an injury. When a blood vessel is damaged, it turns into platelets, which are cell fragments responsible for regulating bleeding. A low platelet count, for example, causes excessive bleeding. Conversely, platelets are used by blood vessels to stop bleeding, or cause hemostasis, by creating blood clots. Platelets are also called thrombocytes, which explains the origin of the clinical term “thrombus” for blood clots.
With thrombosis, however, especially mural thrombosis, the condition is not due to excessive or violent force. Its origin is instead pathological, that is attributed to the presence of a disease. People with atrial fibrillation are likely to have mural thrombosis. Characterized by the affliction of the heart’s two upper chambers, collectively called the atria, it is the most common form of abnormal heart rhythm or cardiac arrhythmia. Other factors that indicate the presence of this type of thrombosis include heart valve replacement and blood-related deficiencies.
Because blood clots in mural thrombosis restrict blood flow, it deprives tissues — and by extension, the body — of the blood and oxygen it needs to function properly. Such deprivation leads to infarction, which is the death of tissue regions due to lack of oxygenated blood. In more extreme cases, it can lead to heart attack and stroke, potentially causing death.
Mural thrombosis and the presence of blood clots usually have no obvious signs. This makes diagnosing the disease very difficult. Some patients, however, may feel some pain in the chest area.
Doctors usually treat mural thrombosis with blood thinners. These are agents used to stop blood clotting. Heparin is the most popular, injected into the body to join forces with the protein molecule antithrombin III in inhibiting the origin and growth of blood clots. Another blood thinner, warfarin, is given orally and targets the enzyme vitamin K epoxide reductase to fight blood clots.
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