Giant Left Ventricular Intracavitary Mass: Diagnostic Challenges in Distinguishing Thrombus From Tumor
Abstract
Giant left ventricular (LV) intracavitary masses are rare and pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to their high risk of systemic embolization and sudden death. We report two acute cases illustrating contrasting presentations and outcomes. The first case involved a 70-year-old man with acute bilateral ischemic stroke and a large mobile LV mass in the setting of ischemic cardiomyopathy and concurrent gastric adenocarcinoma; the patient deteriorated rapidly and died before advanced imaging could clarify the nature of the mass. The second case concerned a 52-year-old man presenting with acute coronary syndrome complicated by severe LV dysfunction and an apical aneurysm; echocardiography revealed a large apical mass that resolved completely with anticoagulation, confirming an LV thrombus. These cases highlight the difficulty of distinguishing thrombi from cardiac tumors using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) alone and underscore the value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging when feasible. Integrating clinical context, imaging findings, and disease evolution is critical for early recognition and appropriate management of LV masses to reduce the risk of embolic complications.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- The Role of AMPK Activation for Cardioprotection in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity
- Hypoglycemic medicines in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: Pathophysiological links between AD and glucose metabolism
- Isorhamnetin Reduces Glucose Level, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in High-Fat Diet/Streptozotocin Diabetic Mice Model
- Modulating Sirtuin Biology and Nicotinamide Adenine Diphosphate Metabolism in Cardiovascular Disease—From Bench to Bedside
- Characterization of the SGLT2 Interaction Network and Its Regulation by SGLT2 Inhibitors: A Bioinformatic Analysis
- Early Treatment with Empagliflozin and GABA Improves β-Cell Mass and Glucose Tolerance in Streptozotocin-Treated Mice
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.