title: [Two-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of intracardiac metastases].
abstract: The authors describe the echocardiographic features of 19 cases of intracardiac metastatic tumours diagnosed over a 5-year period. The cardiac appearances were very varied: pericardial effusion alone or associated with an intrapericardial tumour (9 cases), myocardial infiltration (9 cases), immobile or mobile intracavitary tumour sometimes simulating a myxoma (15 cases). In 18 out of the 19 cases, the tumour mass was hyperechogenic which made it easy to diagnose. However, in one case of right atrial tumour, the mass was hypoechogenic and the diagnosis could only be made by contrast echocardiography. This study illustrates the important role that two-dimensional echocardiography plays in the non-invasive diagnosis of intracardiac metastatic tumours but physicians should be aware of the potential pitfalls and limitations of the technique.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital cardiologique du Haut-Lévêque, centre hospitalier régional de Bordeaux, Pessac.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roudaut
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reynaud
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Durandet
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gosse
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dallocchio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
vernacular_title: L'echocardiographie bidimensionnelle dans le diagnostic des métastases intracardiaques.