title: Diagnostic imagings for primary cardiac fibrosarcoma.
abstract: Primary tumors of the heart are rare; primary cardiac fibrosarcoma is even rarer. We report a patient with primary cardiac fibrosarcoma widespread metastases presenting with pulmonary metastases initially. The cardiac lesion was identified by bone-imaging localization on bone scan, by hypodense areas in the cardiac chambers of contrast computed tomography of the chest, and by protruding masses in ventricular cavities causing aortic valve outflow-tract obstruction by echocardiogram. At autopsy, a large tumor invaded the interventricular septum and both ventricular cavities of the heart (880 g in weight), and accounted for these imaging findings. While bone-agent localization in the heart does not differentiate malignant from benign conditions, computed tomography and echocardiography of the interatrial and interventricular septal, and right atrial and biventricular cavitary involvement may differentiate fibrosarcoma from myxoma.
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lexington, KY 40511-1093.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McCullough
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology