Metastatic cardiac myxoid liposarcoma is rare. We present the case of a 56-year-old woman who was admitted for angina and syncope, and in whom a mobile intracardiac mass obstructing the left ventricular outflow tract and protruding into the aortic root during systole was detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). She reported an antecedent of the complete excision of a myxoid liposarcoma of the thigh 12 years before. A surgical resection procedure was performed through an excision of the anterior wall of the left ventricle. The histopathological analysis of the specimens obtained during surgery revealed a low-grade malignancy myxoid liposarcoma, similar to the one resected in the thigh 12 years before. The present case is the first one to report syncope due to left ventricular outflow tract as a cause for admission. TEE was able to visualize the metastatic tumor to the heart, accurately localize its position and allow for prompt surgical treatment that produced relief of the symptoms.
SummaryBackground: The aim of early treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is to achieve the rapid reperfusion of the culprit artery, which correlates with improvement in ventricular function and survival. With the widespread use of thrombolytic agents or coronary angioplasty as reperfusion strategies for AMI, it is possible to reduce the amount of myocardial necrosis.Hypothesis: The assessment of residual viability with dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) in the infarcted area after AMI is relevant to subsequent management and prognosis.Methods: Thirty-seven patients with AMI (mean age 59 ± 12, 31 male, 22 with anterior AMI, 15 with inferior AMI) admitted to the coronary care unit within 3.8 ± 1.8 h of the onset of symptoms were included. Two-dimensional echocardiography (2-D echo) study and DSE were performed at a mean of 4.7 ± 1.8 days. Follow-up 2-D echo was performed at a mean of 25 ± 11 days. To assess left ventricular regional systolic function, 2-D echo images were obtained at rest and during dobutamine-induced stress and were analyzed off-line according to the 13-segment model. Improvement in wall motion score (WMS) was defined by a decrease of at least two grades in the score.Results: Wall motion score improved in 13 of the 37 patients after DSE (rest WMS 20.9 ± 2.0 vs. D-WMS 17.7 ± 2.2; p < 0.001), which correlated with clinical or angiographic signs of reperfusion of the culprit vessel in all cases. Follow-up WMS evidenced a significant correlation with WMS after
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