Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is a rare life-threatening mechanical complication secondary to acute myocardial infarction that usually occurs 2 to 8 days after infarction and frequently precipitates cardiogenic shock. The mortality rate for VSR has been reported to be between 41% and 80%; therefore, immediate surgical intervention should be considered. Furthermore, VSR is a complication of 0.17% to 0.31% of patients who present with an anterior myocardial infarction. Because of the rarity of this pathology, the role of transthoracic echocardiographic investigation will help to improve what is already considered a poor prognosis for these types of patients. This case study illustrates how transthoracic echocardiography plays an essential role in the rapid assessment and diagnosis of VSR in clinical practice.
A tumor is an excessive growth of cells that results from the body’s inability to balance the growth of new cells and the destruction of old cells. Tumors can occur throughout the body and are classified as either benign or malignant. However, cardiac tumors are a rare occurrence. When present, several imaging modalities are available to illustrate their presence and characteristics. Not all cardiac masses look similar and, depending on their size and location, may pose different health risks to the patient. This case series introduces six left atrial myxomas with dissimilar appearances initially detected by transthoracic echocardiography, along with cross-correlation by transesophageal echocardiography, computed tomography, and mechanical resonance imaging.
Atrial septal defects (ASDs) are one of the most common heart defects diagnosed in the adult population. If left unrepaired, they may lead to significant complications including right heart volume overload, pulmonary complications, and heart failure. Percutaneous transcatheter closure by use of an occluder device is clinically indicated for most patients with a secundum ASD and who are symptomatic. Although this procedure is safe, in rare instances, complications may be encountered, including atrial wall perforation, arrhythmias, and, in very rare instances, device migration. Echocardiography has become a widely used and reliable form of patient imaging that relies on the skillset of the sonographer as well as the interpreting physician. This case study illustrates the specific role of the cardiac sonographer in taking a careful clinical history, imaging of an ASD occluder device, and its location as it migrated into the aortic arch. This case also demonstrates the importance of imaging beyond the standard echocardiographic protocol, given this clinical manifestation.
The role of cardiac sonographers, as health care professionals, comprises facilitating a cardiologist's diagnosis of valvular lesions, coronary artery disease, and congenital defects and assessing right-side pulmonary complications and so on. Occasionally, communication of differential diagnoses across several modalities, specialties, and healthcare providers is compulsory, in order to accurately confirm or deny an appropriate diagnosis for patients with unique presentations. This case study highlights the vital role of abdominal sonography, echocardiography, venography, and computed tomography in the diagnosis of a hepatic cyst. In addition, it demonstrates the appropriate measures that cardiac sonographers can take to fully investigate these lesions, especially when they are presumed to be a thrombosed inferior vena cava.
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