Revista portuguesa de cardiologia : orgão oficial da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia = Portuguese journal of cardiology : an official journal of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology
-
Symptoms related to peripheral embolism are experienced in 2%-15% of cases of cardiac myxoma. We present a rare case of a 54-year-old man admitted due to sudden abdominal pain. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). ⋯ As periodic CT scans showed progressive improvement of blood flow through the SMA, OAC was continued. OAC may have been beneficial due to the nature of emboli originating from a cardiac myxoma: thrombi covering the surface of the tumor. At present, there is no explanation in the literature for the benefits of OAC in patients with embolism associated with cardiac myxoma.
-
Case Reports
An unusual ST-segment elevation: apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy shows the ace up its sleeve.
Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is part of the broad clinical and morphologic spectrum of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We report a patient with electrocardiographic abnormalities in whom acute coronary syndrome was excluded and apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was demonstrated by careful differential diagnosis.
-
Metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is a false neurotransmitter noradrenaline analogue that is taken up by the 'uptake 1' transporter mechanism in the cell membrane of presynaptic adrenergic neurons and accumulates in catecholamine storage vesicles. Since it is practically unmetabolized, it can be labeled with a radioisotope (iodine-123) in scintigraphic exams to noninvasively assess the functional status of the sympathetic innervation of organs with a significant adrenergic component, including the heart. Studies of its application in nuclear cardiology appear to confirm its value in the assessment of conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias and sudden death. ⋯ The autonomic nervous system dysfunction, including sympathetic hyperactivity, that accompanies chronic heart failure is associated with progressive myocardial remodeling, declining left ventricular function and worsening symptoms, and contributes to the development of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. Since 123I-MIBG cardiac scintigraphy can detect changes in the cardiac adrenergic system, there is considerable interest in its role in obtaining diagnostic and prognostic information in patients with heart failure. In this article we present a literature review on the use of 123I-MIBG scintigraphy for risk stratification of sudden death in patients with heart failure.