title: Role of transesophageal echocardiography in evaluation of pulmonary venous obstruction by paracardiac neoplastic masses.
abstract: From 71 consecutive patients with paracardiac neoplastic masses who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), obstruction of individual right upper pulmonary venous flow by compression by contiguous mass was detected by TEE in 4 patients before and disappeared after anti-neoplastic treatments. Pulmonary vein, contiguous neoplastic mass and their relation could be clearly visualized and assessed by TEE. Pulmonary venous obstruction was assessed as moderate degree by combination of Doppler flow characteristics and diameter of pulmonary vein. Before therapy, peak velocities and time-velocity integrals in obstructed right upper pulmonary venous flow were increased, whereas deceleration times of systolic flow were prolonged. After therapy, peak velocities and time-velocity integrals were reduced and deceleration times of systolic flow were shortened, with normalization of the diameter of the right upper pulmonary veins. Thus, TEE may be used to detect and evaluate pulmonary venous obstruction by neoplastic masses and its changes after antineoplastic treatments.
authors.affiliation: Cardiologia-ARC, Ospedale Civile, Pordenone, Italy.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Nicolosi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lestuzzi
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Canterin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Golia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cervesato
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zanuttini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011668:Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*