Noninvasive evaluation of right hemodynamics in carcinoid heart disease: A case report

Abstract

We report the case of a 67-year-old woman with a carcinoid tumor of midgut origin who developed carcinoid heart disease and died because of bowel perforation. Echocardiography allowed the diagnosis, recognizing the typical abnormalities of tricuspid and pulmonary valve leaflets. The sonographic examination also evidenced peculiar alterations of the right heart hemodynamics: end-diastolic reversal of flow at the level of the pulmonary valve, reduced respiratory excursion without enlargement of the inferior vena cava, and biphasic hepatic venous flow without respiratory variation. Echocardiography allowed both the diagnosis and the accurate assessment of the hemodynamic consequences of the disease. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:355-361, 2017.