Ventricular metastasis without atrial or caval involvement: a rare presentation

Echocardiography. 2008 May;25(5):521-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8175.2008.00634.x. Epub 2008 Feb 13.

Abstract

Right ventricular metastases from renal cell carcinoma without inferior vena cava (IVC) or right atrium involvement are rare. We discuss a 44-year-old male who presented with a left thigh mass, which was resected and the pathology revealed an epithelial sarcoma or a possible metastasis from another organ. His preradiotherapy cardiac evaluation showed mass in the right and left ventricles, which was confirmed by transesophagial echocardiogram. Computed tomography revealed a right renal mass in addition to the ventricular masses without any involvement of IVC or the atria. The patient underwent right radical nephrectomy without complications and systemic chemotherapy with interleukin-1 for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. He is doing well and follow-up echocardiogram showed significant reduction in the size of the cardiac metastases, even without surgical resection of these tumors. Thus, our article presents this unique case of asymptomatic ventricular metastases of renal cell carcinoma without any atrial or caval involvement and provides a new insight into the management of this syndrome.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / diagnostic imaging*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / secondary*
  • Echocardiography, Transesophageal
  • Heart Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Heart Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Heart Ventricles / diagnostic imaging*
  • Heart Ventricles / pathology
  • Humans
  • Kidney Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Male
  • Soft Tissue Neoplasms / secondary
  • Thigh