Echo in cardiac tumors and masses

Associate Editor: Ranjan Ray

=Overview of Cardiac Tumors=

Cardiac myxomas
Frequency: 30% of benign tumors

Location: left atrium (75%), right atrium (23%), ventricles (2%)

presentation: intracardic obstruction, embolization, constitutional symptoms (fever, weight loss, fatigue, arthralgias, rash)

Preferred imaging modality: 2D echo- TTE is adequate

   LA myxoma

Lipomas
Frequency: 10% of benign tumors

Location: Left ventricle, right atrium, interarterial septum

size: 1-15cm

Preferred imaging modality: MRI

Rhabdomyomas
Frequency: 6% of benign cardiac tumors

Location: ventricles and atria (pedunculated mass), within septal myocardium

presentation: heart block, SVT, ventricular tachycardia, sudden death

demographic: 75% occur in children (<1 yo)

Fibromas
Location: usually within the myocardium of the left ventricle, anterior free wall, interventricular septum

size: 3-10cm

presentation:

demographic: rarely in adults, mostly in children

Papillary fibroelastoma
Frequency: 8% of benign tumors

Size: 0.5 - 2.0 cm

Location: mitral valve (most commonly), aortic valce, endocardial surfaces

Demographic: 60 yo (average age)

Presentation: embolization

Angiosarcoma
Frequency: 30% of malignant cardiac tumors

Rhabdomycosarcoma
Frequency: 10% of primary cardiac sarcoma. Most common cardiac tumor in children

Lymphoma
Fequency: 5% of primary malignant cardiac tumors