Clinical presentation and investigation of cardiac tumors

Cardiac tumors are relatively rare. Their consequences if left untreated are dire, thus requiring a prompt diagnosis. The diagnosis of a cardiac tumor may be suggested by the clinical presentation, but can seldom be made on history and physical examination alone. The diagnosis can be made with a fair degree of accuracy in most cases, by combining the clinical presentation with the known typical findings on cardiac imaging. The two-dimensional echocardiogram is the imaging modality of choice for cardiac tumors. However, owing to limitations in image quality, as well as delineating the extent of disease in suspected malignant tumors, echocardiographic diagnosis may be equivocal. Cardiac CT and MRI become important in these cases.