Key points • Benign cardiac masses are exceedingly rare, and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms behind their emergence are poorly understood • Most patients are asymptomatic unless the mass exerts an…
Key points • Positron emission tomography (PET) measures two annihilation photons of an emitted positron from a radionuclide-labeled tracer with a specific biochemical distribution, resulting in molecular imaging of biological…
Key points • Differentiating primary benign vs malignant cardiac tumors can be done using multimodal imaging as well as tissue biopsy. • Clinical features including rapid growth, involvement of multiple…
Key points • Intracardiac thrombi constitute an important clinical condition because of their potential complications. • Detection of ventricular thrombi is generally performed by transthoracic echocardiography, while atrial thrombi are…
Key points • CT has emerged as an important imaging modality in the evaluation of cardiac and paracardiac neoplasms. CT has several advantages including wide availability, rapid acquisition time, excellent…
Key points • Cardiac neoplasms are rare and most of the malignancies in this organ are metastatic in origin. Fig. 18.2 Angiosarcoma (gross). Right atrial angiosarcoma in a 49/Y woman:…
Key points • Newer echocardiographic techniques may provide incremental information to help characterize cardiac masses. • Myocardial contrast echocardiography allows an improved definition of intracavity structures and an assessment of…
Key points • Most patients with cardiac masses are asymptomatic; however, they may present with symptomatology and clinical signs suggestive of more common and rapidly debilitating syndromes such as angina,…
Key points • Anatomic variants occurring in normal cardiac developments often simulate pathologic entities. • Anatomic variants are particularly common in the right atrium. • Due to the physical properties…
Key points • Baseline ECG in any cardiac or extracardiac tumors is mandatory since therapeutic side effects of chemotherapy on heart are proven. • Comprehensive understanding of the cardiac effect…
