Intracardiac echocardiography to guide biopsy for two cases of intracardiac masses

Intracardiac biopsy of cardiac tumors with echocardiographic guidance: Case report

Background

Primary cardiac tumors are very rare, and about 20-30% of them are malignant tumors. Since early signs of cardiac tumors are non-specific, diagnosis can be challenging. There is a lack of the recommended guidelines or standardized strategies for diagnosis and optimal treatment for this disease. As the definite diagnoses of most tumors are made by pathologic confirmation, biopsied tissue is essential in determining the treatment for patients with cardiac tumors. Recently, intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) has been introduced to assist biopsy procedures of cardiac tumors and it provides high-quality imaging.

Case Description

Due to its low prevalence and variable presentation, cardiac malignant tumors usually are easily missed. Hereby, we report three cases of patients who presented with non-specific signs of cardiac disorder and was initially suspended diagnosis as lung infection or cancer. Under the guidance of ICE, cardiac biopsies were successfully on cardiac masses, giving critical data for diagnosis and treatment planning. No procedural complications were obtained in our cases. These cases are intended to highlight the clinical value and importance of ICE-guided biopsy of intracardiac mass.

Conclusions

The diagnosis of primary cardiac tumors relies on the histopathological results. In our experience, using ICE for biopsy of an intracardiac mass is an attractive tool to increase diagnostic results and reduce the risk of cardiac complications associated with inadequate targeting of the biopsy catheters.

Percutaneous intravenous catheter forceps biopsy in right atrial mass: two case reports and literature review

Background

Primary malignant tumors of the heart are rare. Although preoperative histological diagnosis is difficult, it has paramount value in therapeutic strategy development and prognostic estimation. Herein, we reported 2 cases of intracardiac tumors.

Cases presentation

Both patients presented to the hospital with heart-related symptoms. Echocardiography showed massive masses in the atrium and positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) revealed hypermetabolism and invasiveness. One patient cannot take surgery due to extensive metastasis and poor condition. The other patient was primarily diagnosed with lymphoma, and surgery was not recommended. They successfully underwent intravenous atrial biopsy, and histological samples confirmed intimal sarcoma and diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Based on immunohistochemical and molecular assessments, targeted chemotherapy was administered, resulting in clinical and imaging remission at discharge.

Conclusions

Percutaneous intravenous catheter biopsy as a safe invasive test provides an accurate pathological diagnosis after imaging evaluation, and offers a therapeutic direction. Nonmalignant masses and some chemo-radiosensitive malignant tumors in the atrium could have good prognosis after targeted therapy.

Intracardiac echocardiographic-guided right-sided cardiac biopsy: Case series and literature review

Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is a common procedure used to aid in the diagnosis of diffuse myocardial diseases and, less commonly, in the diagnosis of cardiac tumors. As cardiac tumors are often found in high-risk locations (ventricular free wall or atria), precision biopsy is paramount, and additional imaging, like transesophageal echocardiography is often required for guidance. The use of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) to guide biopsy has been described, but there is no consensus on a standardized approach. We report our institutional approach with three cases of ICE-directed EMB performed with the 2.4 mm Jawz bioptome directed with an 8.5-Fr Agilis NxT steerable introducer. All cases were performed under guidance with the AcuNav ICE probe. There were no procedural complications and a definitive diagnosis was obtained in all three cases. We also review the available published cases of ICE-guided EMB in the literature-noting the different procedural approaches, complication rate, and diagnostic yield. There were only two negative biopsies reported among the published cases and no reported complications. Our review of all these cases suggests that ICE-guidance for EMB is superior to other forms of imaging in its ease of use and high definition of right-sided cardiac structures. We also feel that the use of the Agilis steerable sheath allows for more precise directing of the bioptome and is a critical component in performing a successful targeted biopsy.

Primary Angiosarcoma in the Right Atrium Diagnosed by a Cardiac Tumor Biopsy Using Intracardiac Echocardiography

A 47-year-old woman consulted a doctor due to a persistent cough. Computed tomography revealed a 30 mm × 60 mm intracardiac mass in the right atrium. Because of lung metastasis, her respiratory status did not allow a more invasive procedure, such as general anesthesia. Although intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) during percutaneous transcatheter biopsy (PTB) is not covered by medical insurance, we performed PTB under ICE guidance. Pathology and immunohistochemistry revealed primary cardiac angiosarcoma. Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. After seven cycles of chemotherapy, the pulmonary metastasis was clearly improved. The patient is alive 18 months after the first consult, even though the mortality of angiosarcoma is high. ICE during PTB allowed us to choose appropriate chemotherapy and improve her pulmonary metastasis. ICE during PTB reduces the need for a diagnostic open-chest procedure that requires a more invasive approach.

Intracardiac Echocardiography–Guided Biopsy of a Left Ventricular Mass

Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) has been used to guide percutaneous biopsies of atrial masses. However, the use of ICE to direct left ventricular mass sampling has not been described. This clinical vignette illustrates the role of ICE-guided left ventricular biopsy in establishing a definitive diagnosis after a failed computed tomography–guided lung mass biopsy. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.)

Multimodality Imaging of a Right Atrial Cardiac Mass

Work up of a right atrial mass usually requires multimodality imaging and sometimes a biopsy to affirm histological diagnosis. We present a case of a 74-year-old woman with primary cutaneous melanoma (wildtype BRAF) of the right toe who was found to have a large heterogeneous mass in the right atrium on routine surveillance CT scan. She did not have any cardiac symptoms. Vital signs and physical examination were unremarkable. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging demonstrated a bilobed mass with an intramural component and a mobile blood pool component, with interposed thrombus. Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiogram (3D-TEE) revealed the mass and its site of attachment on the lateral wall of the right atrium. Given the large size of the tumor and its potential for obstruction of tricuspid inflow, the right atrial mass was surgically resected. Pathology confirmed metastatic melanoma. The patient tolerated cardiac surgery well and was discharged shortly thereafter. In the present case, a large cardiac metastasis was discovered in the absence of clinically detectable disease elsewhere. CMR allowed a comprehensive evaluation of the location, extension, and tissue characterization of the cardiac mass. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) and 3D-TEE allowed assessment of the hemodynamic consequences of this mass and aided in operative planning.

Cardiac Recurrence of Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma More Than a Decade After Attaining Complete Remission

Patient: Female, 79

Final Diagnosis: Cardiac recurrence of DLBCL

Symptoms: Cardiogenic shock

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: Biopsy specimen

Specialty: Cardiology/Hematology

Endomyocardial biopsy guided by intracardiac echocardiography as a key step in intracardiac mass diagnosis

Background

Based on a plenty of different applications, intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is now a well-established technology in complex electrophysiological procedures. Recently, ICE has become the most widely used ultrasound-based imaging tool to guide diagnostic endomyocardial biopsy (EMB). EMB of cardiac mass guided by ICE is an interesting application of ICE. Allowing a correct positioning of the bioptome, ICE reduce the procedure-related risks and the need of a diagnostic open-chest procedure reserving the more invasive approach to selected cases.

Case presentation

Hereby we report a case series of right ventricular masses in which the EMB was safely and effectively performed under ICE guidance giving essential information for planning the therapeutic strategy.

Conclusions

The diagnosis of both metastatic and primary cardiac tumors relies on the histopathological analyses. The endomyocardial biopsy is a valuable tool for preoperative diagnosis and surgical planning of intracardiac masses suspected for tumors. In our experience, the use of ICE for right ventricle EMB of an intracardiac mass is an attractive modality thanks to the precise localization of the cardiac structures and the ability to guide bioptic withdrawal in the target area.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12872-018-0749-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.