The Usefulness of 3D Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Diagnosis of Cardiac Tumors
Abstract:
Cardiac masses represent a heterogeneous group of tumor and pseudotumor conditions characterized by a diversity of clinical symptomatology and morphologic aspects on medical imaging. Echocardiography is the basic examination that allows the detection of these lesions in order to specify the type of mass and propose a rough characterization. Three-dimensional echocardiography (TEE) is a new modality that allows for the better identification and localization of anatomical structures, which significantly improves our understanding of this pathology. The result of the 3D evaluation allowed unlimited slicing and cropping, facilitating the recognition of anatomical details as to the assessment of the size, composition, and location of the cardiac mass and its relationship with adjacent structures, in conjunction with an accurate assessment of left ventricle volumes and ejection fraction. Our primary objective in this prospective study, including 15 cases of cardiac tumors, is to prove the additional contribution of 3D transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of cardiac tumors outside the proliferative images of endocarditis and thrombi.
