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Massive mitral annular calcification mimicking intracardiac mass: Multimodality approach to diagnosis
Fabio Caruso1, Luisa Ventura1, Dafne Viliani2
1Radiololgy Department, Santa Maria Del Carmine Hospital, Viale Verona 4, 38068 Rovereto (TN), Italy.
Insights
Diagnosing cardiac masses can be difficult. Multimodality imaging confirmed a challenging cardiac mass was actually mitral annulus calcifications in a 78-year-old man.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Cardiac masses require accurate differential diagnosis due to significant clinical implications.
- Echocardiography is a primary tool for cardiac mass detection, but etiology can remain unclear.
Observation:
- A 78-year-old male presented with a cardiac mass of uncertain origin detected via echocardiography.
- The mass appeared voluminous and its nature was initially indeterminate.
Findings:
- A multimodality imaging approach, including cardiac magnetic resonance and computed tomography, was employed.
- These advanced imaging techniques successfully elucidated the mass's composition.
Implications:
- The cardiac mass was definitively identified as two large calcifications of the mitral annulus.
- This case highlights the utility of advanced imaging in resolving complex cardiac mass diagnoses.
Abstract:
The correct differential diagnosis of cardiac masses can be challenging and often carries important clinical implications. We present the case of a 78-year-old man with a cardiac mass of unclear etiology diagnosed on echocardiography. Using a multimodality approach with cardiac magnetic resonance and computed tomography, it was possible to define the real nature of the mass as composed of 2 voluminous calcifications of the mitral annulus.
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