Echocardiographic features of carcinoid heart disease.
We reviewed the records of the Mayo Clinic patients with known carcinoid syndrome in whom echocardiographic studies had been done. Nineteen patients had M-mode and 2-dimensional echocardiographic examinations, and 1 patient had an M-mode examination only. Of the 20 patients, 8 had no evidence by echocardiogram of carcinoid heart disease; 2 had changes in the tricuspid valve echogram suggestive of early carcinoid heart disease, and the other 10 patients had the following distinctive echocardiographic findings: (1) the pattern of right ventricular volume overload (enlarged right ventricle with abnormal septal motion); (2) abnormal right-sided valves, including (a) a striking appearance of the tricuspid valve, the leaflets appearing thickened, retracted, and fixed in a semiopen position throughout the cardiac cycle, and (b) thickened, retracted pulmonic valve cusps, when visualized; and (3) the left-sided valves and chambers rarely involved. These echocardiographic features are distinctive of advanced carcinoid heart disease and correlate closely with pathologic findings.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002275:Carcinoid Heart Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008303:Malignant Carcinoid Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000502:physiology; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000175:diagnosis; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000503:physiopathology; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000503:physiopathology; D016276:Ventricular Function