Echocardiographic Evaluation of Carcinoid Heart Disease

Carcinoid heart disease (CaHD) is a complication that occurs in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (usually to the liver) and carcinoid syndrome. Hormonal release causes endocardial thickening, typically affecting right-sided cardiac valves. Symptomatic patients with CaHD have a poor prognosis, and management of valvular heart disease is complicated by metastasis and other associated conditions and carries a higher risk than management of other acquired valve disease. Clinical and biomarker assessment are used for screening and echocardiography is the diagnostic imaging backbone used for identification of CaHD, as well as grading of severity of valvular lesions and associated chamber dysfunction. Echocardiography is critical in the evaluation for surgical intervention, as well as in guiding surgery and postoperative surveillance. This article reviews in detail applications of echocardiography in patients with CaHD.