title: Two-dimensional echocardiography in the detection of noneffusive cardiac involvement by intrathoracic neoplasms.
abstract: Two-dimensional echocardiographic (2DE) findings in four patients with predominantly noneffusive manifestations of intrathoracic neoplasms are presented. In cases Nos. 1 and 2 tumor masses were identified in the left atrioventricular groove area at a time when the left-heart border was obscured by a large pleural effusion on chest x-ray examination. Case No. 3 demonstrated distortion of right ventricular anatomy by a compressing extrinsic mass lesion. In these three cases the neoplasm itself or the complicating pleural effusion provided additional echocardiographic windows for visualizing the heart. Case No. 4 demonstrated dilation of the main pulmonary artery secondary to tumor compression of the left pulmonary artery with regression of the dilation following resection. The relative applicability of 2DE and M-mode techniques and their clinical relevance in tumor patients are delineated.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D010996:Pleural Effusion; D011312:Pressure; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology