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We describe the case of a 53-year-old man with past history of rheumatic valvular disease who developed acute decompensated heart failure due to thrombosis of his mechanical mitral valve prosthesis. The diagnosis was established after a combined and complementary approach of echocardiography and cinefluoroscopy. Because of the severe heart failure at presentation, the patient was taken to surgery. The intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was critical to guide a successful thrombectomy procedure. Postoperative pathological findings revealed the presence of thrombus and fibrotic tissue (pannus) in the surgical specimens removed from the valve. The success of this case and the treatment choice are supported by the most recent literature data on prosthetic valve thrombosis. We highlight the use of three diagnostic approaches in our patient: echocardiography, cinefluoroscopy and pathology.