title: Two-dimensional echocardiographic diagnosis of intracardiac masses in infancy.
abstract: Intracardiac masses in infancy are uncommon. Tumors, thrombi and vegetations of bacterial endocarditis are exceedingly rare in this age group. These masses are seldom diagnosed before the infant's death. In a review of two-dimensional echocardiograms performed from May 1979 to January 1981 on 741 infants less than 2 years of age, intracardiac masses were prospectively identified in 6 patients. All six patients presented with unexplained murmurs associated with either hemodynamic instability, arrhythmias or systemic emboli. One patient had a vegetation from bacterial endocarditis, one had an intracardiac thrombus associated with myocarditis, three had rhabdomyomas (two patients with tuberous sclerosis) and one had a fibro-fatty nodule attached to the eustachian valve. Two-dimensional echocardiography not only was important in the diagnosis, but also provided guidance in the medical and surgical treatment of these patients.
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012207:Rhabdomyoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D014402:Tuberous Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis