ANGIOSARCOMA OF THE HEART – CLINICAL CASE

Abstract

Primary angiosarcoma of the heart, constituting 33% of primary heart malignancies in adults, refers to rare diseases with a difficult diagnosis. The article describes the case of primary angiosarcoma of the right atrium, diagnosed posthumously in a patient of 45 years old. The disease debuted in a previously healthy woman 45 years, 2 months before her death. There were episodes of sudden decrease in blood pressure with pain in the chest and short-term loss of consciousness, as well as moderate manifestations of heart failure (hydrothorax, small ascites, hydropericardium, hepatomegaly, leg shunting). The patient died suddenly, a pathologic study revealed an angiosarcoma of the right atrium with invasive growth, accompanied by inferior vena cava stenosis. Angiosarcoma of the heart should be included in a differential diagnosis of patient with pericardial effusion of unspecified genesis, syndromes of vena cava obstruction, unexplained right ventricular failure, syncope with a fall in blood pressure, especially in middle-aged patients.

Keywords

• heart tumors
• angiosarcoma of the heart
• exudative pericarditis
• inferior vena cava obstruction
• heart failure