title: Clinically Relevant Cardiovascular Findings Detected on Staging Computed Tomography in Patients with Several Malignancies.
abstract: We evaluated the frequency and subtypes of clinically relevant cardiovascular (CV) findings identified on staging computed tomography (CT) in a large sample. Patients (n = 5026) with different malignant diseases were staged by CT. Clinically relevant CV findings (CRCFs) were included into the study. The CRCFs were defined as cardiac aneurysm, cardiac thrombus, venous thrombosis, arterial thrombosis, arterial dissection, pulmonary thromboembolism, arterial dissection, and dislocation of venous ports/central venous catheters. The CRCFs were identified in 342 patients (6.8% of all patients). Overall, 491 CRCFs were identified in the patients (1.4 per patient). In 203 (59.4%) patients, 1 CRCF; in 129, 2 (37.7%) CRCFs; and in 10 (2.9%) cases, 3 CRCFs were detected. There were incidental venous thrombosis (n = 298, 60.7% of all CRCFs), pulmonary thromboembolism (n = 84, 17.1%), arterial aneurysms (n = 44, 8.9%), arterial thrombosis (n = 43, 8.8%), heart thrombus (n = 15, 3.1%), arterial dissection (n = 3, 0.6%), heart aneurysms (n = 2, 0.4%), and port catheter dislocation (n = 2, 0.4%). The identified CRCF can be associated with potential hazardous complications. The CV system should be carefully evaluated in staging CT investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Martin-Luther-University Hale-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany alex.surow@medizin.uni-halle.de.
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Surov
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Martin-Luther-University Hale-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas Gunter
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Martin-Luther-University Hale-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schramm
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000072226:Computed Tomography Angiography; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: aneurysm; dissection; pulmonary embolism; staging computed tomography; thrombosis