We describe the case of a 60yearold woman who presented with pulmonary artery sarcoma, a very rare tumor of the cardiovascular system. Her tumor was initially misdiag nosed as chronic pulmonary thromboembolism, and she underwent pulmonary endarter ectomy.Early P ulmonary artery (PA) sarcoma, a very rare tumor of the cardiovascular system, is often misdiagnosed as acute or chronic pulmonary thromboembolism because its clinical presentation and radiologic findings resemble those of thromboembolism.1,2 The prognosis is usually poor: the tumor is invasive and often involves vital structures such as the heart, which makes radical resection challenging. 3 We describe the case of a 60-year-old woman with PA sarcoma that was initially misdiagnosed. Case ReportIn February 2013, a 60-year-old woman presented at our emergency department with progressive dyspnea and palpitation. The dyspnea had started after a long bus ride. Her New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class was II/III. On physical examination, she was positive for jugular venous distention. Auscultation revealed a grade 3/6 systolic ejection murmur in the left parasternal and 2nd intercostal areas. Her hemodynamic state was stable. Her electrocardiogram showed sinus rhythm and a pattern of right ventricular (RV) strain. The patient's cardiothoracic ratio was greater than 50%, and her natriuretic pro-brain peptide level was high. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed RV dilation with impaired function and a mass (2.7 × 1.3-cm) extending from the pulmonary valve into the right and left PAs and into all sub-branches, which suggested a pulmonary embolus (Figs. 1 and 2). Systolic PA pressure (sPAP) derived by Doppler echocardiography was 122 mmHg. Laboratory investigations for hypercoagulable disorders were within normal limits. Malignancy was ruled out by positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT). Doppler studies of the lower-extremity veins were normal. A diagnosis of subacute pulmonary thromboembolism was made on the basis of the patient's clinical presentation and imaging results, and we began anticoagulation with heparin. Thrombolytic therapy was not started because of her stable hemodynamic condition.Subsequently, the patient was placed on warfarin therapy for 3 months and monitored. Her echocardiogram revealed a dilated RV with reduced systolic function and moderate tricuspid regurgitation, no decrease in the size of the mass, and normal left ventricular function. Her sPAP was 122 mmHg. Computed tomograms of her chest showed web-like filling defects in the pulmonary vasculature on the right and left lower lobes, arising from a pulmonary-valve condition that was consistent with
Resistin is a member of the family of cysteine-rich secretary proteins called resistin-like molecules (RELMs). It is suggested to be involved in inflammatory conditions and atherosclerosis. We have established a significant correlation between serum resistin levels and coronary artery disease (CAD) in a study was performed between 2011 and 2012 in our institute in two hundred fourteen patients (164 CAD patients and 50 controls). Then the CAD patients were followed up to investigate the relationship between increased serum resistin levels and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) between 2012 and 2016. One hundred fifty-five of 164 patients (95%) were followed up and 9 patients lost to follow up. There were 39 MACE (25%) in four years of follow-up. There were 16 in-hospital deaths due to cardiac causes, 8 revascularization procedures, and 15 re-hospitalization due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or heart failure (HF). The patients with MACE had similar serum resistin level (median: 71.37 pg/ml) compared to patients without MACE (median: 80.23 pg/ml) (p > 0.05).
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