Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars. 2012; 40(1): 52-54 | DOI: 10.5543/tkda.2012.01753
Asymptomatic course of a metastatic mass completely filling the right atrium in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma
Taner Ulus1, Alparslan Birdane1, Emine Dündar2, Bülent Tünerir31Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey
2Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey
3Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey
Intracardiac involvement rarely develops in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its prognosis is poor. Patients generally have symptoms of sudden dyspnea or massive lower extremity edema and the clinical course may be further complicated by many fatal cardiovascular complications. Absence of cardiac symptoms or findings, however, is an unusual condition. We present a 61-year-old man with HCC who was incidentally found to have an intracavitary mass completely occupying the right atrium. He had no cardiac complaints, nor any signs of cardiac involvement. The mass was first detected by computed tomography and then confirmed by transthoracic echocardiography. The patient underwent a successful surgical resection and the histopathologic diagnosis was HCC. Unfortunately, the postoperative course was complicated by the development of acute kidney failure and, despite hemodialysis treatment, the patient died of kidney failure eight days after the operation.
Keywords: Carcinoma, hepatocellular/complications, heart atria; heart neoplasms/secondary/surgery; vena cava, inferior
Corresponding Author: Taner Ulus, Türkiye
Manuscript Language: English