Primary left atrial angiosarcoma mimicking severe mitral valve stenosis
- 1Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Hospital of the University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- 2Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Hospital of the University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- 3Institute of Pathology, Hospital of the University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Correspondence to:
PD Dr med Christian Bruch
Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Hospital of the University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Strasse 33, D-48149 Münster, Germany; bruchcuni-muenster.de
- Accepted 1 November 2004
Abstract
Primary cardiac tumours are quite rare and most of these tumours are benign. In this report, a patient presented with heart failure symptoms attributable to severe mitral valve stenosis. Echocardiography showed a dense left atrial mass causing functional mitral valve obstruction. The morphological and intraoperative presentation was highly suggestive of a myxoma but histopathological examination found a primary pedunculated cardiac angiosarcoma. The role of two dimensional and transoesophageal echocardiography in the assessment of cardiac masses and tumours is discussed.
- angiosarcoma
- left atrium
- transoesophageal echocardiography
- Doppler echocardiography
- functional mitral stenosis
