Metastatic ocular melanoma to the left ventricle inducing near-syncope attacks in an 84-year-old woman.
Cardiac tumors may represent mechanical causes for syncope by limiting left ventricular filling and/or by obstructing the left ventricular outflow tract. Malignant melanoma is known to metastasize to the myocardium or pericardium, but there are only a very limited number of reports describing endocardial involvement by the tumor. We describe herein an 84-year-old woman who presented with daily near-syncope episodes, 9 years after treatment for a choroidal melanoma. The echocardiography and the pathologic examination revealed a metastatic melanoma. This is the first reported case of an ocular melanoma metastasizing to the heart and presenting as a left ventricular intracavitary pedunculated mass.
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Texas Medical School, Houston 77030, USA.
R T
RT
Rosario
D J
DJ
DiMaio
R L
RL
Lapham
M
M
Sweeney
R
R
Smalling
E
E
Barasch
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008545:Melanoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D013575:Syncope / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014694:Ventricular Outflow Obstruction / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery