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THE BRITISH- 782 MAY 6, 1933] PEDUNCULATED THROMBUS OCCLUDING LEFT AURICLE [IM'EDICAL JOURNAL was in the fifth space, three and a half inches from the mid- of mild shock. Occasionally gangrene of all the fingers line, and was forceful and heaving. A presystolic thrill was and toes has been noted. These signs have been con- felt all over the praecordium, more marked at the* cardiac sidered diagnostic of intracardiac thrombi. Although apex. At the mitral area the first sound was loud and this patient had attacks of faintness or mild shock, there slapping, and was preceded by a crescendo presystolic was never any discoloration of the extremities. No murmur. At the pulmonary area the second sound was " accentuated. Electrocardiogram: sinus rhythm 80; normal cause could be found for the origin of the tumour "; auriculo-ventricular conduction times, right ventricular pre- there were no dilated veins on the interauricular septum, ponderance; angle 120 degrees; slurring of QRS in Lead III the auricular contractions were quite regular, the mitral inverted T wave in I and II ; P wave diphasic. orifice of normal size, and the only abnormality was a Respiratory system was normal, except for a few rales and slight patency of the foramen ovale. rhonchi at bases and in axillae. The liver and spleen were I am greatly indebted to Dr. Cloake for permission to not palpable, and there was no ascites. Blood picture: publish this case, and also for his kind assistance and that 4,140,000 red cells per c.mm. ; haemoglobin 48 per cent.; cf Dr. Neale. colour index 0.58; white blood cells 22,000 per c.mm.; BIBLIOGRAPHY polymorphs 83.25 per cent. Allbutt and Rolleston: Svstem of Medicine, vol. vi, p. 721. Schwartz and Biloon: Occluding Thrombi of the Left Auricle, Progress Amer. Heart. Journ., 1931, vii, 84. On the second day after admission, since the patient -was reasonably well and able to be moved without discomfort, she was sent to the x-ray department. There she suddenly become dyspnoeic and distressed ; she was very pale, with Memoranda a cold, clammy skin, and air-hunger was marked, the general appearance resembliilg the picture seen in severe haemor- MEDICAL, SURGICAL, OBSTETRICAL rhage. The pulse was feeble and rapid, the heart sounds extremely faint ; no thrill was felt and no murmur was audible. Stimulant treatment provoked no response. CERVICAL RIB WITH VASCULAR Oedema of the lungs developed, and the patient died about COMPLICATIONS fifteen hours after the onset of these severe symptoms. At (With Special Plate) no time was her pallor replaced by cyanosis; Cervical ribs causing vascular complications are rare. In Post-mortenm Findings a recent paper Professors Telford and Stopford' have The pericardium contained a slight excess of fluid. The right reported three such cases. The conclusions they draw auricle and right ventricle were dilated, but there was no ante- are that the arterial condition is one of spasm followed mortem thrombus. The left ventricle was normal. The left by thrombosis, the spasm being induced by the continued auricle was filled by a mass the size of a large hen's egg, irritation of those sympathetic nerves supplying the attached by a firm pedicle to the interauricular septum at an artery. The sympathetic nerve supply of the artery area posterior to the foramen ovale, which was not completely is received closed. The tumour (Fig. 1), measuring 6 x 3.5 x 3.5 cm., was below the insertion of the pectoralis major slightly lobulated, yellowish-brown in colour, gelatinous in con- from the main nerve trunks, and it is these sympathetic sistenice, and contained areas of haemorrhage. The mitral fibres which are compressed against the cervical rib and valve appeared slightly thickened, but there were no old co?rsequently irritated while still an undistributed bundle or recent vegetations, and the mitral orifice was of normal cn the under surface of the lowest trunk of the plexus. size. There was no evidence of any primary valvular dis- They have shown that the vascular complications depend order. Microscopically the auricular " tumour " showed areas ertirely upon the distribution of the sympathetic nerve of red and white blood cells, granular debris, and fibrin. In fibres in the lowest trunk. The old view that these com- the more completely organized areas were polymorphonuclear mechanical compression of and plasma cells, newly formed thin-walled blood vessels, plications are due to actual and fibroblasts. In places the scanty,, rather stellate fibro- the subclavian artery would still appear to have certain blasts in a clear matrix resembled myxomatous tissue advocates, and in a recent paper Gladstone and Wakeley2 (Figs. 2, 3, and 4). have stated that " the symptoms caused by cervical ribs COMMENTS are those due to pressure upon the subclavian artery and There are certain features in this case which belie the brachial nerve trunks." Professors Telford and Stopford presumptive diagnosis of mitral stenosis. One would have, I think, proved conclusively that actual mechanical and venous in a case of mitral pressure on the artery does not occur in those cases where expect cyanosis congestion the stenosis which was so severe as to cause the patient to be the vascular symptoms are predominant. In view of bed-ridden. The pallor can be explained by the inter- fact that these conclusions do not appear to be generally mittent blocking of the mitral orifice ; there was no accepted, I feel that an account of the following case, continuous damming of the venous circulation,- yet which entirely corroborates their finding, is justified. sufficient impediment to cause an anaemia of the tissues. On October 2nd, 1931, a man, aged 24, consulted me and A feeling of faintness on bending down was in all gave the following history. Twelve months previously he first probability due to the alteration of position causing the noticed a feeling of general tightness of the left arm and hand thrombus to rest on the mitral orifice and to occlude it, whenever he became excited. In February, 1931, while riding so producing a sudden systemic anaemia. a. motor cycle, he felt a sudden pain in his left arm and interest is the sudden hand, and noticed that the latter had become cold and very Of particular comparatively intervals after this date he developed occur in blue. At frequent death, which does not usually uncomplicated at-tacks of cramp in all the fingers, associated with a dead mitral stenosis. On changing the position of the patient white appearance of the skin. The cramp would pass off after the mobile tumour occluded the mitral orifice ; the a short time, and as the fingers regained their normal colour tumour had by then attained such a size that it could he would feel a tingling sensation. not be dislodged, and the patient died from failure of the On examination the left hand was cold and blue; there was blood to pass through the mitral orifice. Although the no definite wasting of the thenar or hypothenar muscles. latter was normal in size, electrocardiographic examina- There was slight anaesthesia, chiefly to pin-prick, over the tion showed a diphasic P wave, which has been con- dorsum of the terminal phalanx of the middle finger, but sidered characteristic of mitral stenosis due to valvular otherwise no involvement of the sensory nerves was manifest. disease. Telford, E. D., and Stopford, J. S. B.: Brit. ioiurnz. S?urg., 1931, xviii, No. 72. A common feature of previously reported cases has beenl 2 Gladstone, R. J., and Wakeley, P. G.: Jobrn. Aniat., April, 1932, transitory discoloration of the extremities with a state p. 334. MAY 1 ME:MORANA r THE BRITrsIf 783 MAY 6,96, 1933J9331 MEMORANDA MEDICAL JOURNAL The subclavian and axillary arteries showed excessive pulsa- were attached to it. On palpation there was a suggestion tion. The pulsation of the brachial artery was, however, of fluctuation. The man had lived in the Tropics for a markedly diminished, and the pulsation of the radial artery number of years, and a tentative but erroneous diagnosis at the wrist was barely perceptible. Three weeks later, just of a liver tumour was prior to operation, I was unable to -detect any pulsation in made. The stomach symptoms the radial artery or in the brachial artery below the insertion were probably due to displacement of that organ by the of the pectoralis major. Apparently, during the period of mass. The tumour could not be freed from the kidney, three weeks after my first examination and just prior to the which was removed with it. The man made an uninter- operation, he had experienced a sudden intense pain in hi.s rupted recovery and is back at work. On section the arm while putting on his coat. This symptom undoubtedly tumour showed a flesh-coloured bossy surface, suggesting indicated the rapid spread of the thrombosis, which com- sarcoma. Sections were sent to Mr. D. M. Greig of the pletely obliterated the pulse. On examination of the neck a Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, who reported well-marke(d cervical rib could be palpated on both sides. it to be a sarcoma of the fibroblastic type with no lThis was confirmed by an x-ray photograph. (See Plate.) On October 25th I explored the left cervical rib under indication of renal tissue present. A kidney of more general anaesthesia. The subclavian artery showed no sign or less normal size is placed beside it for comparison. of compression against the cervical rib; in fact, it showed 'I orquay, Devon. DONALD MACLEOD, F.R.C.S.ED. what appeared to be excessive pulsation right into the axilla. It could be easily moved away from the cervical rib, and was not in actual contact with it.

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