title: Cardiac lipoma and lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum: cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings.
abstract: Cardiac lipomas are uncommon, usually asymptomatic benign primary tumors of the heart that may incidentally be discovered during computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although the finding of a low-attenuation mass with density similar to fat on CT is pathognomonic, the MRI appearances of fatty cardiac masses are variable depending on the sequences employed. The MRI findings of 4 patients with cardiac lipomas or lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum are presented. All patients had lesions with characteristic low-signal-intensity margins and high central signal intensity on "bright-blood" balanced gradient-echo cardiac MRI sequences with very low repetition and echo times. It is proposed that this appearance results from intravoxel phase cancellation effects occurring at the fat/tissue interface and is sufficiently characteristic to obviate the need for confirmatory CT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA. jsalanitiri@radiology.northwestern.edu
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Salanitri
authors.forename: F Scott
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Pereles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006346:Heart Septum / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008067:Lipoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed