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Atrial pseudothrombus, a new radiological sign of right atrial roof bulging, caused by pericardial effusion, observed on chest CT


International Journal of Radiology & Radiation Therapy
José Vitor Rassi Garcia,1 Daphine Centola Grassi,1 Iona Grossman Pozzi,2 Claudia Cosentino Gallafrio,1 Henrique Manoel Lederman1

Abstract

Cardiac masses are rare findings, but they may have several etiologies, and classically can be divided as neoplastic or not-neoplastic.1 Due to the diversity of causes, the patient’s clinical data such as age, symptoms, and previous pathological history are essential factors in guiding the diagnosis. The gold standard exam in the investigation of cardiac masses is currently the magnetic resonance exam, which presents high accuracy to differentiate thrombus tumors.2 Usually the echocardiography plays an important role being the first imaging study in evaluating the heart.2 However, with the increased use of imaging as a diagnostic method, the cardiac mass may be initially visualized on the chest CT scan. A satisfactory heart evaluation by chest CT is limited if it is non-triggered, mainly because of movement artifacts. However, if there any abnormalities are seen, hypotheses may be made based on patient’s clinical story. In the case of atrial cardiac thrombi, multidetector computed tomography showed high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis.3,4

Keywords

cardiac masses, tumors, pseudotumor, echocardiography, thromboembolism

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