Tumors of the Heart – the Clinical Significance of Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging

Tumors of the heart, including hemangiomas, are rare compared with other cardiac diseases. Their clinical symptoms vary from absent to nonspecific. The great variations and general paucity of symptoms related to cardiac tumors, such as hemangiomas, often result in delayed diagnosis and treatment. Hemangiomascan present as a family disorder and may involve multiple organs. As a result of recent advances in imaging technology, cardiac tumors have become easier to detect and are often found unexpectedly. There is a need to raise awareness of the existence of cardiac tumors and the contribution of simple imaging modalities during medical examinations. A 19-year-old healthy male student came to be examined in order to renew his permit to exercise. The results of his physical examination and ECG were within normal limits. As a midsystolic click (or a tumor flop) was heard over the left sternal border, he was referred to undergo an echocardiography. The echocardiogram demonstrated a space occupying lesionof 16mm in the left ventricle, later excised via open-heart surgery and was diagnosed as a hemangioma. The post-operative course was uneventful. An ultrasound examination of the upper abdomenrevealed a hemangiomain the left lobe of the liver. This case demonstrates the clinical importance of imaging of the heart during medical examinations, even when signs and symptoms are sparse, especially when a family history or hemangiomasin other organs exist.