A Case of Malignant Pericardial Mesothelioma with Atypical CT and MR Imaging Pattern

Korean J Med > Volume 80(2); 2011 > Article

Original Article

The Korean Journal of Medicine 2011;80(2):161-165.

A Case of Malignant Pericardial Mesothelioma with Atypical CT and MR Imaging Pattern

Woo-Jung Chun1, Yong-Whan Park1, Ju-Hyun Oh1, Seong-A Jang2, Pil-Sang Song2, Dong-Ryeol Ryu2, Gu-Hyun Kang1

비전형적 영상 소견을 보이는 악성 심낭 중피종 1예

천우정1, 박용환1, 오주현1, 장성아2, 송필상2, 류동열2, 강구현1

Abstract

Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma is a very rare and highly aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis. Here, we present the case of a 71-year-old man with symptoms of chest discomfort and exertional dyspnea starting 1 week prior to admission. We identified a pericardial mass using transthoracic echocardiography, but could not diagnose the patient using other multimodal imaging approaches and effusion cytology. Findings on contrast cardiac computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were more consistent with angiosarcoma than malignant mesothelioma. Ultimately, the patient was diagnosed with malignant pericardial mesothelioma, based on immunohistochemical staining of the tumor tissue. In recent years, several cases have reported the efficacy of chemotherapy in malignant mesothelioma. Thus, we suggest that accurate diagnosis of pericardial tumors with pathology may have a profound impact on the final prognosis.

Key Words: Heart neoplasms; Mesothelioma; Pericardial effusion