title: [Endocardial fibrosis in neuroendocrine tumors of the gastroenteropancreatic system].
abstract: Clinical characteristics, echocardiographic and Doppler echocardiographic findings, as well as serum levels of chromogranin A were recorded on 62 patients (27 women, 35 men; mean age 55 [11-83] years) with histologically confirmed tumours of the gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) system. Changes in the right heart were found in 14 patients (22%), club-like thickening of tricuspid leaflets in 13, tricuspid regurgitation in 14, stenosis in 2 and right atrial or right ventricular dilatation in 11 and 5, respectively. There was no difference between the patients with or without right-heart changes in regard to age, presence of carcinoid syndrome, duration of symptoms, primary tumour site, pattern of metastases, treatment or chromogranin A level. Two patients with nonfunctioning tumours had right-heart changes. While clinical and biochemical parameters did not identify patients with right-heart changes, echocardiography demonstrated all haemodynamically significant endocardial changes. Even patients with nonfunctioning GEP tumours should be regularly monitored by echocardiography.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Innere Medizin mit Schwerpunkt Kardiologie und Pulmologie, Klinikum Steglitz der Freien Universität, Berlin.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dingerkus
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Völler
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dissmann
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hennig
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Linderer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wiedenmann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000097:blood; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004695:Endocardial Fibroelastosis / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins
vernacular_title: Endokardfibrose bei neuroendokrinen Tumoren des gastroenteropankreatischen Systems.