A case is described of a 57-year-old man with a background of low-grade bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting with dyspnoea and palpitations. Diagnostic work-up revealed paroxysmal atrial flutter and the presence of a mass in the right lower lobe at bronchoscopy, with histology confirming recurrent BALTOMA. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed a mass in the right atrium. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) confirmed the presence of a fleshy, mobile pedunculated right atrial mass adherent to the interatrial septum, with features more in keeping with an atrial myxoma rather than intracardiac lymphoma. He proceeded to cardiotomy and excision of the mass with histology confirming an atrial myxoma. The clinical and echocardiographic features of atrial myxomas and intracardiac lymphomas are briefly discussed.
SUMMARYA 33-year-old man without medical history or cardiovascular disease risk factors presented with recurrent progressively worsening chest pain that had been preceded by few days of flu like illness. His initial ECG and troponin rise supported the diagnosis of myopericarditis for which he was treated with aspirin and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with good response initially. He later on developed severe recurrent chest pain and became tachycardic and hypotensive. Serial ECGs revealed a pattern of significant dynamic ST elevation in several leads, a pattern that is not usually seen in pericarditis. Subsequently, features of bedside echo did not support the diagnosis of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The patient did well on conservative management with NSAIDs. He did not undergo urgent coronary angiography which would not have offered the patient any clinical benefit at the time and would have put him at procedural risk unnecessarily. The diagnosis of myopericarditis was confirmed retrospectively with typical features on cardiovascular magnetic resonance.
Acute aortic dissection is a cardiac emergency which can present as inferior myocardial infarction. It has high morbidity and mortality requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. Rapid advances in non-invasive imaging have facilitated the early diagnosis of this condition and in ruling out this potentially catastrophic illness. We report an interesting case of a 57-year old man who presented with inferior myocardial infarction requiring thrombolysis and temporary pacing wire for complete heart block. An echocardiogram was highly suspicious of aortic dissection. CT scan confirmed that the malposition of the temporary pacing wire through the aorta mimicked aortic dissection.
Infective endocarditis remains an interesting and challenging disease in which the presenting features have been modified by medical progress. We report a case of a 63-year-old woman who presented with pyrexia, weight loss, night sweats and fatigue over a period of 7 weeks, at the end of which she developed severe right hypochondrial pain, mimicking acute abdomen. She was provisionally diagnosed with and treated for acute cholecystitis to no avail. An abdominal computed tomography scan was performed and revealed the presence of right kidney infarction, the source of which was later proven to originate from aortic valve endocarditis. The patient made a remarkable recovery following 6 weeks of treatment with intravenous antibiotics. This case demonstrates that endocarditis can present as an acute abdomen which is caused mainly by embolism in various organs (the kidney in our patient).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.