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Published on: February 4, 2021
Infective calcified amorphous tumor on mitral valve and critical course of left ventricular rupture
Kazuma Handa1, Shinya Fukui1, Yukitoshi Shirakawa1
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka General Medical Center, 3-1-56 Bandai-higashi, Osaka, Sumiyoshi 556-8558, Japan.
Insights
Infective calcified amorphous tumors (CATs) are exceptionally rare cardiac lesions. This case highlights the extreme risks associated with infected CATs, even with surgical intervention, emphasizing the need for utmost caution.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Calcified amorphous tumors (CATs) are rare intracavitary cardiac lesions.
- Infection accompanying CATs is exceptionally rare, posing unique clinical challenges.
Observation:
- A 76-year-old female presented with cerebral infarction and an echocardiographic finding of a large, mobile, calcified mass on the posterior mitral valve, diagnosed as a CAT.
- The patient exhibited moderate aortic and severe mitral regurgitation, and blood cultures identified *Gamella* sp. infection.
- Surgical resection of the infective CAT revealed unclear borders due to severe infection and necrosis, complicating the procedure.
Findings:
- Complete resection of the infective CAT was achieved, followed by mitral and aortic valve replacement with bioprostheses and annular reconstruction.
- Despite successful surgical repair, the patient experienced two episodes of left ventricular rupture during weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass.
- The patient ultimately succumbed to multi-organ failure on postoperative day 6, despite aggressive management.
Implications:
- This case represents the first reported instance of an infective calcified amorphous tumor in such a critical clinical scenario.
- Infection significantly escalates the risk and complexity associated with CATs, underscoring the need for extreme vigilance.
- The management of infective CATs requires meticulous surgical planning and intensive postoperative care due to high complication rates.
Abstract:
Calcified amorphous tumor is a rare intracavitary cardiac lesion and an accompanying infection is extremely rare. A 76-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital because of cerebral infarction. Echocardiography and chest computed tomography showed a calcified large mobile mass on the posterior mitral valve that was diagnosed with a calcified amorphous tumor. Moderate aortic regurgitation and severe mitral regurgitation were also confirmed. Her blood culture detected Gamella sp. We surgically dissected this infective calcified amorphous tumor. The border between this infective tumor and the mitral annulus was unclear because of severe infection and necrotic tissue. After careful complete resection, the healthy ventricular muscle was exposed and we performed annular reconstruction with bovine pericardial patches. And we replaced the aortic and mitral valves using bioprosthesis. While weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass, however, left ventricular rupture occurred twice. Despite successful repair of left ventricular rupture, which controlled bleeding, she died from multi-organ failure on postoperative day 6. An infective calcified amorphous tumor in such a critical case has not been reported previously. The calcified amorphous tumor probably become serious when the infection occurred. In this situation, the utmost caution should be paid to the patient. <Learning objective: Calcified amorphous tumor (CAT) is a rare non-neoplastic intracavitary cardiac lesion. There have been some reports of CATs but they are extremely rare with accompanying infection or critical situations. Our patient was a 76-year-old female with infective CAT who suffered from cerebral infarction, and she died from multi-organ failure despite best surgical treatment. CAT probably become serious when the infection occurred. In this situation, the utmost caution should be paid to the patient.>.
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