Thymic Tumor Extension into the Heart, a Rare Finding Found by Point-of-Care Ultrasound.
We report a cardiac mass detected by point-of-care ultrasound performed within the emergency department on a 65-year-old male with thymic cancer who presented with chronic cough and fever. Results from the initial emergency workup, which included blood tests, urinalysis, and a computerized tomography with angiography scan with venous phasing of the chest, did not result in a definitive diagnosis. A point-of-care echocardiogram was performed to evaluate for possible infective endocarditis, but alternatively identified a large mass in the right atria and ventricle. The mass was later confirmed to be metastatic tumor from the patient's known thymic cancer. This case emphasizes the vital role ultrasound can play in the acute care setting.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Elizabeth
E
Kaufman
Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Michelle
M
Hunter-Behrend
Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Eric
E
Leroux
Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Laleh
L
Gharahbaghian
Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Viveta
V
Lobo
cardiac neoplastic tumors; chest radiology; emergency; emergency department; point-of-care diagnostics; thymic tumor; trans-thoracic echocardiography; tumors; ultrasound