Cardiac angiosarcoma arising in a coronary artery: angiographic and pathologic findings

Prinzmetal's angina in a patient with angiosarcoma of the right cardiac chambers

Variant (Prinzmetal's) angina pectoris is a clinical syndrome characterized by the presence of angina at rest, coinciding with a transient ST-segment elevation. This syndrome is often caused by vasospasm, either on a normal coronary artery or at the site of a coronary atherosclerotic stenosis. We describe a classic case of variant angina associated with an angiosarcoma of the right heart chambers.

[Pulmonary metastasis in a cardiac angiosarcoma - case report and discussion]

We present a case report of a 35 year-old male without any relevant former pathology admitted to the emergency room with atypical chest pain, cough and sputum with ECG changes suggesting pericarditis. He was initially admitted to the cardiology ward and experienced clinical improvement after initiating anti- inflammatory treatment. As intercurrence he had bacterial origin pneumonia complicated by pleural effusion (PE). After discharge patient was referred to a pulmonology appointment where aetiological investigation of the PE was instigated. Investigation revealed changes in the cardiac cavities and multiple lung nodules, suggesting subacute endocarditis with septic pulmonary embolism. Admitted to the pulmonology unit patient underwent videothoracsopy which diagnosed cardiac angiosarcoma with pulmonary metastisation. Within a few days there was a rapid evolution of the clinical picture, with cardiac failure and death of the patient without radiotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy being started.

Imaging features of nonmyxomatous primary neoplasms of the heart and pericardium

We present the imaging findings in 13 patients with nonmyxomatous primary neoplasms of the heart and pericardium. Ten patients had abnormal chest films. While echocardiography was useful for determining origin of the tumor, CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) were better at delineating extent of disease. The radiographic appearance of these rare neoplasms of the heart and pericardium is varied. Cross-sectional imaging plays a crucial role in the surgical planning and management of these patients.