Left atrial mass

A 56-year-old woman presented with a complaint of dyspnea on minimal exertion for the past two months and orthopnea of three-day history. She was first examined at another hospital two years before for nonproductive cough, for which computed tomography was performed that showed a right pulmonary mass. The patient refused further evaluation and treatment at that time. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large mass filling the entire left atrium via the inferior pulmonary vein and causing mitral flow obstruction during diastole. Computed tomography of the thorax showed a large mass filling the entire right lower lobe, which occluded the right lateral lobe superior segmental bronchus and obliterated the lower lobe segment bronchi. As the patient was severely symptomatic, she underwent right lower and middle lobectomy and left atrial mass resection, based on the decision of the surgery council. The pathological examination of the specimens from both atrial and pulmonary masses revealed pulmonary large cell carcinoma. The patient died due to cardiopulmonary arrest on the postoperative 20th day.