Right atrial mass associated with hepatoma--2 case reports

Korean J Intern Med. 1994 Jul;9(2):116-9. doi: 10.3904/kjim.1994.9.2.116.

Abstract

Hepatoma has a tendency to spread into the venous system, but intracavitary cardiac extension or metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma is an uncommon form of cardiac malignancy. When the carcinoma grows from the hepatic vein into the right atrium, the right atrial tumor thrombis may hinder the blood flow. Therefore, these patients have the risk of sudden death. In the past, antemortem diagnosis of right atrial tumor thrombi in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma was difficult. But, echocardiography allowed easy detection of the intracardiac tumor thrombi. We describe two cases of hepatocellular carcinoma with right atrial tumor thrombi. In these cases, the right atrial tumor thrombi was detected by two-dimensional echocardiography. Recently, successful surgical removal of the right atrial tumor thrombi are reported in several cases. We advocate performing echocardiographic examination in patients with hepatoma who have cardiac symptoms and signs.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / diagnosis
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / secondary*
  • Echocardiography
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Heart Atria* / diagnostic imaging
  • Heart Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Heart Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating*