A case of prominent epicardial fat mimicking a tumor on echocardiography.
Epicardial fat may anteriorly produce an echo-free space that can be mistaken for pericardial fluid. We recently experienced a 67-year-old woman with prominent epicardial fat which was presented as an echogenic tumor-like mass. She underwent open pericardiostomy to relieve large amount of pericardial effusion. Operative findings revealed only prominent epicardial fat. Biopsy of the pericardial and fat tissues revealed an inflammation and normal fat cells without any malignant cell infiltration.
Ahn
Y K
YK
Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Hospital, Kwangju, Korea.
Park
J C
JC
Park
W S
WS
Kim
N H
NH
Kim
J W
JW
Kim
S H
SH
Cho
J H
JH
Jeong
M H
MH
Cho
J G
JG
Kang
J C
JC
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography