Key result
A 29-year-old male with recurrent pericardial effusions and cardiac tamponade was found to have a primary right atrium angiosarcoma, highlighting the difficulty of early diagnosis.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Primary cardiac angiosarcoma can present atypically as recurrent pericarditis and cardiac tamponade, highlighting the need for high clinical suspicion for early diagnosis.
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Recurrent pericardial effusions may signal rare cardiac angiosarcoma; case report leaves optimal early diagnostic strategies open.
BACKGROUND: Primary cardiac neoplasms occur rarely and most of them are benign. Malignant tumors including angiosarcoma are extremely rare and have a non specific clinical presentation and a poor prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a young male who was transferred to our hospital because of shock and multiple organ failure after a complicated pericardial biopsy. During the previous seven months he presented with recurrent episodes of pericardial effusions and tamponade. Chest computed tomography revealed a mass in the right atrium, infiltrating the myocardium and pericardium. During emergency surgery that followed, the patient died because of uncontrolled hemorrhage. Autopsy revealed the mass of the right atrium, which was identified on histological examination as primary cardiac angiosarcoma. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the difficulties both in early diagnosis and in the management of patients with cardiac angiosarcoma.
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Kontogiorgi et al. (2007) conducted a case report in Primary right atrium angiosarcoma (n=1). Surgical resection and biopsy was evaluated. A 29-year-old male with recurrent pericardial effusions and cardiac tamponade was found to have a primary right atrium angiosarcoma, highlighting the difficulty of early diagnosis.
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