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An unusual myocardial infarction

Abstract

We present a 74-year-old male with a chondrosarcoma, who presented with chest pain. The history, electrocardiogram (ECG), and biomarkers established the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI); angiography did not show coronary atherosclerosis and, both initial transthoracic echocardiogram and chest computed tomography (CT), did not demonstrate any cardiac abnormalities. A second echocardiogram following a routine ECG showed presence of a mass involving the right ventricle and the cardiac apex that was confirmed by chest CT scan. We underline the importance of considering cardiac tumors in the clinical arena of MI management.

Learning points

  • Cardiac tumors cause ECG changes similar to ischemic heart diseases.

  • Keep in mind cardiac tumors when performing transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) in the setting of suspected MI.

  • TTE is the technique of choice in detecting cardiac tumors.

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Correspondence to Domenico Galzerano MD.

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Di Michele, S., Mirabelli, F., Galzerano, D. et al. An unusual myocardial infarction. Echo Res Pract 1, K9–K10 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1530/ERP-14-0017

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/ERP-14-0017