Caseous Calcification of the Mitral Annulus: A Role for Surgery

Publication date: Available online 10 October 2019Source: The Annals of Thoracic SurgeryAuthor(s): Vincent Chauvette, Émilie Laflamme, Valérie Lafrenière-Bessi, Mohammed Marzouk, Olivier Bertrand, Kim O’Connor, Mario Sénéchal, Christian Steinberg, Michel Gingras, Pierre Voisine, Frederic JacquesAbstractAn 80 year-old-man followed for aortic stenosis was found to have an intracardiac mass. Multiple imaging modalities were inconclusive in characterizing the mass but raised concerns about the potential malignancy of the mass. Fear of operating on an elderly patient with a potential for cardiac neoplasia led to a percutaneous transseptal biopsy that failed to provide a clear diagnosis. Cardiac valvular surgery was performed in addition to excisional biopsy of the mass that turned out to be caseous necrosis of mitral annular calcifications.
Source: The Annals of Thoracic Surgery - Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Source Type: research