title: [Ultrasonic characteristics of intravenous leiomyomatosis with intracardiac extension].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the sonographic characteristics of intraveous leiomyomatosis (IVL) with intracardiac extension and improve its diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical and sonographic data of 13 female patients with pathologically confirmed IVL with intracardiac extension who were treated in our hospital between 2002 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients aged 44 years old (range: 38-49 years), and 10 of them were first-episode patients and the remaining 3 were recurrent patients. Eight patients had a history of hysterectomy for leiomyoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The first-episode symptoms included exertional chest tightness and shortness of breath (n=5), abdominal distention and edema of low extermity (n=4), exertional palpitation of cardiac origin (n=3), and menorrhagia (n=1). Ultrasonography showed that all patients had isoechoic or hypoechoic tumors extended through the inferior vena cava into right heart chambers (62% in right atrium alone and 38% in right ventricle and atrium). Nine masses in right heart chamber (69.2%) were oval and 4 (30.8%) were serpentine, which were all with well-demarcated borders and most (80%) with heteroechogenic texture. Ten patients had hypoechoic or mixed echoic tumors in pelvic cavity or uterus, and 6 of them had abundant blood flow.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IVL with intracardiac extension has certain sonographic characteristics. Ultrasonography is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of IVL with intracardiac extension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, PUMC Hospital, CAMS and PUMC, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li-gang
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Ya-hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhong-hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian-chu
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018231:Leiomyomatosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology