Cardiac echinococcosis with pulmonary embolism.
The case of a 37-year-old Italian man with cardiac involvement by echinococcus granulosus is presented. The patient showed symptoms of severe cardiac failure and died suddenly on cardiorespiratory arrest. Autopsy revealed a ruptured parent hydatid cyst attached to the right ventricular wall and massive embolism, by daughter cysts, of the right branch of the pulmonary artery. Although cardiac involvement is present in only 0.5% to 3% of all cases of echinococcal disease, it represents a very serious clinical condition which is followed by sudden death in 29% of the cases of ruptured cysts.
Varela-Duran
J
J
Pathologisches Institut der Universität Freiburg, Ludwig-Aschoff-Haus, FRG.
Riede
U N
UN
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology*; D048209:Echinococcus granulosus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology*; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous