Fibroelastoma as a culprit of syncope

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Emergency Medicine
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Syncope is a common presentation in the emergency department.
• Valvular masses can cause syncope but are often challenging to diagnose rapidly.
• Bedside ultrasonography is increasingly utilized in emergency settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a case of valvular mass diagnosed with bedside ultrasonography in a syncope patient.
• To discuss the utility of ultrasonography in the emergency department workup of syncope.
• To highlight the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for cardiac masses.

Main Methods:

• Emergency department bedside ultrasonography was performed on a young patient presenting with syncope.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used for further characterization.
• Postsurgical pathological evaluation confirmed the diagnosis.

Main Results:

• Bedside ultrasonography successfully identified a valvular mass.
• The mass was suspected to be a fibroelastoma based on ultrasound findings.
• Subsequent MRI and pathological evaluation confirmed the fibroelastoma diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Bedside ultrasonography is a valuable tool for diagnosing valvular masses in emergency department patients with syncope.
• Early diagnosis of cardiac masses can be achieved using point-of-care ultrasound.
• This case underscores the importance of considering cardiac etiologies in unexplained syncope.