Right atrial angiosarcoma: echocardiographic diagnosis and surgical correlation

Two-dimensional echocardiography in a 43-year-old patient with pericarditis revealed a mass lesion in the right atrium, thought to represent a tumor. The tumor was characterized sufficiently by echocardiography that cardiac catheterization was felt unnecessary, thus avoiding potential embolic complications. The patient underwent resection of an angiosarcoma eight days after his initial presentation. This case demonstrates the value of two-dimensional echocardiography in characterizing intra-cardiac masses to an extent that surgical excision is possible, in some instances, without invasive evaluation.