Cardiac Masses: The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis
Cardiac masses are space occupying lesions within the cardiac cavities or adjacent to the pericardium. They include frequently diagnosed clinical entities such as clots and vegetations, common benign tumors such as myxomas and papillary fibroelastomas and uncommon benign or malignant primary or meta...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Diagnostics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/10/12/1088 |
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| author | Constantina Aggeli Yannis Dimitroglou Leonidas Raftopoulos Georgia Sarri Sophie Mavrogeni Joyce Wong Eleftherios Tsiamis Costas Tsioufis |
| author_facet | Constantina Aggeli Yannis Dimitroglou Leonidas Raftopoulos Georgia Sarri Sophie Mavrogeni Joyce Wong Eleftherios Tsiamis Costas Tsioufis |
| author_sort | Constantina Aggeli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cardiac masses are space occupying lesions within the cardiac cavities or adjacent to the pericardium. They include frequently diagnosed clinical entities such as clots and vegetations, common benign tumors such as myxomas and papillary fibroelastomas and uncommon benign or malignant primary or metastatic tumors. Given their diversity, there are no guidelines or consensus statements regarding the best diagnostic or therapeutic approach. In the past, diagnosis used to be made by the histological specimens after surgery or during the post-mortem examination. Nevertheless, evolution and increased availability of cardiovascular imaging modalities has enabled better characterization of the masses and the surrounding tissue. Transthoracic echocardiography using contrast agents can evaluate the location, the morphology and the perfusion of the mass as well as its hemodynamic effect. Transesophageal echocardiography has increased spatial and temporal resolution; hence it is superior in depicting small highly mobile masses. Cardiac magnetic resonance and cardiac computed tomography are complementary providing tissue characterization. The scope of this review is to present the role of cardiovascular imaging in the differential diagnosis of cardiac masses and to propose a step-wise diagnostic algorithm, taking into account the epidemiology and clinical presentation of the cardiac masses, as well as the availability and the incremental value of each imaging modality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:04:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-79674e4ab7d74792ae8c2a691559ccc0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4418 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:04:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diagnostics |
| spelling | doaj.art-79674e4ab7d74792ae8c2a691559ccc02023-11-21T00:48:17ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182020-12-011012108810.3390/diagnostics10121088Cardiac Masses: The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Differential DiagnosisConstantina Aggeli0Yannis Dimitroglou1Leonidas Raftopoulos2Georgia Sarri3Sophie Mavrogeni4Joyce Wong5Eleftherios Tsiamis6Costas Tsioufis7First Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Athens Hippokration, University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Attica, GreeceFirst Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Athens Hippokration, University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Attica, GreeceFirst Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Athens Hippokration, University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Attica, GreeceFirst Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Athens Hippokration, University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Attica, GreeceDepartment of Cardiology, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre, 17674 Kallithea, Attica, GreeceDepartment of Cardiology, Harefield Hospital and Royal Brompton Hospital, London UB96JH, UKFirst Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Athens Hippokration, University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Attica, GreeceFirst Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Athens Hippokration, University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Attica, GreeceCardiac masses are space occupying lesions within the cardiac cavities or adjacent to the pericardium. They include frequently diagnosed clinical entities such as clots and vegetations, common benign tumors such as myxomas and papillary fibroelastomas and uncommon benign or malignant primary or metastatic tumors. Given their diversity, there are no guidelines or consensus statements regarding the best diagnostic or therapeutic approach. In the past, diagnosis used to be made by the histological specimens after surgery or during the post-mortem examination. Nevertheless, evolution and increased availability of cardiovascular imaging modalities has enabled better characterization of the masses and the surrounding tissue. Transthoracic echocardiography using contrast agents can evaluate the location, the morphology and the perfusion of the mass as well as its hemodynamic effect. Transesophageal echocardiography has increased spatial and temporal resolution; hence it is superior in depicting small highly mobile masses. Cardiac magnetic resonance and cardiac computed tomography are complementary providing tissue characterization. The scope of this review is to present the role of cardiovascular imaging in the differential diagnosis of cardiac masses and to propose a step-wise diagnostic algorithm, taking into account the epidemiology and clinical presentation of the cardiac masses, as well as the availability and the incremental value of each imaging modality.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/10/12/1088cardiac tumorscardiac malignanciesechocardiographytransesophageal echocardiographycontrast agentscardiac magnetic resonance |
| spellingShingle | Constantina Aggeli Yannis Dimitroglou Leonidas Raftopoulos Georgia Sarri Sophie Mavrogeni Joyce Wong Eleftherios Tsiamis Costas Tsioufis Cardiac Masses: The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis Diagnostics cardiac tumors cardiac malignancies echocardiography transesophageal echocardiography contrast agents cardiac magnetic resonance |
| title | Cardiac Masses: The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis |
| title_full | Cardiac Masses: The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis |
| title_fullStr | Cardiac Masses: The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cardiac Masses: The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis |
| title_short | Cardiac Masses: The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis |
| title_sort | cardiac masses the role of cardiovascular imaging in the differential diagnosis |
| topic | cardiac tumors cardiac malignancies echocardiography transesophageal echocardiography contrast agents cardiac magnetic resonance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/10/12/1088 |
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