Korean J Med.  2011 Jun;80(Suppl 2):S161-S165.

A Case of Malignant Pericardial Mesothelioma with Atypical CT and MR Imaging Pattern

• Chun WJ
• Park YW
• Oh JH
• Jang SA
• Song PS
• Ryu DR
• Kang GH

Abstract

Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma is a very rare and highly aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis. Here, we present the case of a 71-year-old man with symptoms of chest discomfort and exertional dyspnea starting 1 week prior to admission. We identified a pericardial mass using transthoracic echocardiography, but could not diagnose the patient using other multimodal imaging approaches and effusion cytology. Findings on contrast cardiac computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were more consistent with angiosarcoma than malignant mesothelioma. Ultimately, the patient was diagnosed with malignant pericardial mesothelioma, based on immunohistochemical staining of the tumor tissue. In recent years, several cases have reported the efficacy of chemotherapy in malignant mesothelioma. Thus, we suggest that accurate diagnosis of pericardial tumors with pathology may have a profound impact on the final prognosis.

Keyword

Heart neoplasms; Mesothelioma; Pericardial effusion

MeSH Terms

Aged
Dyspnea
Echocardiography
Heart Neoplasms
Hemangiosarcoma
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Mesothelioma
Pericardial Effusion
Prognosis
Thorax