Diagnostic challenge presented by right atrial mass: A report of two cases

Abstract

Right atrial masses raised pose 3 major possibilities including tumors, thrombi, or vegetations. We present 2 cases: first, a 34-year-old male with no medical history, who presented with dyspnea, pleuritic pain, and fever; and the second, 65-year-old male with similar symptoms and a history of a left renal carcinoma. Both patients had right atrial masses found on a transthoracic echocardiogram. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and an 18 FDG-PET were necessary finding thrombi in the first patient; and tumoral thrombi in the second one. A multimodality imaging approach to right atrial masses is essential for proper diagnosis and therapeutic decision-making.