Congenitally Absent Left Atrial Appendage Discovered During Watchman Procedure

Case Report

Volume 6, Issue 1

Congenitally Absent Left Atrial Appendage Discovered During Watchman Procedure

Jeremy Wells^1*, Vijay Iyer^1,2, Mohamed Abdel-Aal Ahmed^1,2 and Dany Cheikh-Debs³

¹University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, USA
²Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute, USA
³University of California, San Francisco, USA

^*Corresponding author: Jeremy Wells, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, NY, USA. E-mail: jwells2@buffalo.edu

Received: October 18, 2025; Accepted: November 06, 2025; Published: November 15, 2025

Citation: Wells J, Iyer V, Abdel-Aal Ahmed M, et al. Congenitally Absent Left Atrial Appendage Discovered During Watchman Procedure. Case Rep Clin Cardiol J. 2026; 6(1): 167.

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Abstract

The left atrial appendage (LAA) is a small extension of the left atrium which has pathological significance by serving as the location of thrombogenesis in 90% of patients with atrial fibrillation who develop strokes. For patients with contraindications to anticoagulation, left atrial appendage occlusion is a viable strategy for management of stroke risk. We present the case of a 79-year-old male who was planned for left atrial appendage occlusion with a Watchman device and was incidentally found to have a congenitally absent LAAO during the procedure, which was confirmed with CT imaging. This is an extremely rarely reported phenomenon with unknown implications for anticoagulation and stroke risk.

Article Details

Congenitally Absent Left Atrial Appendage Discovered During Watchman Procedure