Mitral annulus calcification is a common echocardiographic finding, particularly in the elderly and in end-stage renal disease patients under chronic dialysis. Caseous calcification or liquefaction necrosis of mitral annulus calcification is a rare evolution of mitral annular calcification. Early recognition of this entity avoids an invasive diagnostic approach, since it is benign and, unlike intracardiac tumors and abscesses, has a favorable prognosis. The authors present the case of an 84-year-old woman with a suspicious large, echodense mass at the level of the posterior mitral leaflet with associated severe mitral regurgitation. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a hypoperfused mass with strong peripheral enhancement 10 minutes after gadolinium administration. Multislice computed tomography showed the calcified nature of the mass. A multi-modality imaging approach confirmed the diagnosis of caseous calcification of the posterior mitral annulus. The patient refused surgical treatment. © 2011 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. Degenerescência caseosa da calcificação do anel mitral: uma perspectiva multi-imagem Resumo A calcificação do anel mitral é um achado ecocardiográfico comum, particularmente em idosos e doentes com insuficiência renal terminal em diálise. A degenerescêncica caseosa, ou necrose liquefeita, da calcificação do anel mitral é uma forma rara de calcificação do anel mitral. O reconhecimento precoce desta entidade evita procedimentos diagnósticos invasivos na medida em que é uma patologia benigna e, ao contrário de tumores e abcesso cardíacos, tem um bom prognóstico. Os autores apresentam o caso clínico de uma doente de 84 anos de idade com uma massa hiperecogénica ao nível do folheto posterior da válvula mitral, associada * Corresponding author. E-mail address: silviamartinsribeiro@gmail.com (S. Ribeiro). Ressonância magnética cardíaca a insuficiência mitral severa. A ressonância magnética cardíaca demonstrou uma massa hipoperfundida, com realce tardio, após administração de gadolíneo. A tomografia computadorizada cardíaca evidenciou a natureza calcificada da lesão. Uma abordagem multi-imagem permitiu o diagnóstico de calcificação caseosa do anel mitral posterior. A doente recusou cirurgia cardíaca. PALAVRAS-CHAVE

Mitral annulus calcification is a common echocardiographic finding, particularly in the elderly and in end-stage renal disease patients under chronic dialysis. Caseous calcification or liquefaction necrosis of mitral annulus calcification is a rare evolution of mitral annular calcification. Early recognition of this entity avoids an invasive diagnostic approach, since it is benign and, unlike intracardiac tumors and abscesses, has a favorable prognosis. The authors present the case of an 84-year-old woman with a suspicious large, echodense mass at the level of the posterior mitral leaflet with associated severe mitral regurgitation. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a hypoperfused mass with strong peripheral enhancement 10 minutes after gadolinium administration. Multislice computed tomography showed the calcified nature of the mass. A multi-modality imaging approach confirmed the diagnosis of caseous calcification of the posterior mitral annulus. The patient refused surgical treatment. © 2011 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. Degenerescência caseosa da calcificação do anel mitral: uma perspectiva multi-imagem Resumo A calcificação do anel mitral é um achado ecocardiográfico comum, particularmente em idosos e doentes com insuficiência renal terminal em diálise. A degenerescêncica caseosa, ou necrose liquefeita, da calcificação do anel mitral é uma forma rara de calcificação do anel mitral. O reconhecimento precoce desta entidade evita procedimentos diagnósticos invasivos na medida em que é uma patologia benigna e, ao contrário de tumores e abcesso cardíacos, tem um bom prognóstico. Os autores apresentam o caso clínico de uma doente de 84 anos de idade com uma massa hiperecogénica ao nível do folheto posterior da válvula mitral, associada * Corresponding author. E-mail address: silviamartinsribeiro@gmail.com (S. Ribeiro). Ressonância magnética cardíaca a insuficiência mitral severa. A ressonância magnética cardíaca demonstrou uma massa hipoperfundida, com realce tardio, após administração de gadolíneo. A tomografia computadorizada cardíaca evidenciou a natureza calcificada da lesão. Uma abordagem multi-imagem permitiu o diagnóstico de calcificação caseosa do anel mitral posterior. A doente recusou cirurgia cardíaca. PALAVRAS-CHAVE

We describe the case of a 59-year-old man who presented with chest pain and ST-segment elevation in the inferior leads, R > S in V1 and ST depression in the anterior leads due to proximal occlusion of the first obtuse marginal. Primary coronary angioplasty and stenting of this artery were performed. Twelve hours later the patient became hemodynamically unstable and severe mitral regurgitation due to rupture of one of the heads of the anterolateral papillary muscle was diagnosed. Emergency surgery was performed (papillary muscle head reimplantation, mitral annuloplasty with a rigid ring, tricuspid annuloplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting). On surgical inspection, it was observed that the detached muscle head had become trapped in the left ventricle by a secondary cord attached to the other head.This case is unusual in presenting two uncommon features of ischemic papillary muscle: rupture of the anterolateral muscle in myocardial infarction involving the inferoposterior walls, and the fact that the ruptured muscle head did not prolapse because it had become trapped in the left ventricle by secondary cord attachment. © 2012 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. PALAVRAS-CHAVEMúsculo papilar; Rutura; Reimplantação cirúrgica; Ecocardiograma Rutura isquémica do músculo papilar ântero-lateralResumo Apresentamos um caso de um homem, de 59 anos de idade, admitido no Serviço de Urgência por dor torácica e elevação ST nas derivações inferiores, r > s em V1 e depressão ST nas derivações precordiais, devido a oclusão da primeira obtusa marginal. Foi realizada angioplastia primária dessa lesão com implantação de stent revestido. Doze horas depois, o doente desenvolve instabilidade hemodinâmica, tendo sido diagnosticada uma insuficiência mitral grave por rutura de uma das cabeças do músculo papilar ântero-lateral. O doente foi submetido a cirurgia emergente (reimplantação do músculo papilar ântero-lateral, anuloplastia mitral com anel rígido, anuloplastia tricúspide e revascularização miocárdica). A inspeção cirúrgica revelou que a cabeça muscular rompida se mantinha presa ao ventrículo esquerdo por uma corda secundária que a ligava à outra cabeça do músculo papilar ântero-lateral.

Lymphoma is usually recognized as the third most frequent metastatic malignancy involving the heart. In recent years, the incidence of cardiac lymphoma has increased, mainly because of HIV-infected patients. We present a case of secondary cardiac lymphoma in an HIV patient presenting with heart failure. Transthoracic echocardiography showed increased left ventricular (LV) wall thickness and an extensive mass in the right cavities with involvement of the tricuspid annulus (Figure 1). Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) showed reduced systolic and diastolic velocities at mitral and tricuspid annulus, compatible with systolic and diastolic myocardial dysfunction, likely owing to infiltration. After 2 weeks of chemotherapy, repeated exam showed significant reduction of the tumour mass and of the LV wall thickness, as well as normalized systolic and diastolic velocities at mitral and tricuspid annulus, as assessed by DTI. Use of transthoracic echocardiography, mostly two-dimensional imaging, has been described for several years for the diagnosis of cardiac involvement as well as for the assessment of tumour regression in response to chemotherapy. The present case report highlights the potential utility of other echocardiographic modalities, particularly DTI, for the assessment of cardiac lymphoma but also for monitoring the tumour response to adequate therapy.

No abstract

Coronary cameral fistulae are unusual congenital or acquired anomalous communications between an epicardial coronary artery and a cardiac chamber. There are no reported cases of the association of coronary cameral fistulae and cor triatriatum, a rare congenital cardiac anomaly in which a fibromuscular membrane divides the left atrium into two chambers. We report the case of an 82-year-old man presenting with recurrent anterior chest pain. Echocardiographic examination identified non-obstructive cor triatriatum, mitral valve prolapse resulting in significant mitral regurgitation, dilated coronary arteries, and established the entry site of coronary artery fistulae at the apex of the left ventricle (Figure 1). Coronary angiography confirmed the existence of a plexiform fistula between the left anterior descending coronary artery and the left ventricle. Tetrofosmine scintigraphy revealed the presence of stressinduced ischaemia in the apex. To our knowledge, we report the oldest person with coronary cameral fistulae presenting with angina only at this stage, and the interesting case of the coexistence of two, although unconnected, congenital conditions in an elderly patient. In addition, this report highlights the important role of transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography to the characterization of these unusual anomalies, and the complementary information offered by three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography.

No abstract

No abstract