Cardiac lymphoma with early response to chemotherapy: A case report and review of the literature.

Cardiac tumors are rare and benign masses account for the most part of the diagnosis. When malignant cancer is detected, primary or secondary cardiac lymphoma are quite frequent. Cardiac lymphoma may present as an intra or peri-cardiac mass or, rarely, it may diffusely infiltrate the myocardium. Although often asymptomatic, patients can have non-specific symptoms. Acute presentations with cardiogenic shock, unstable angina, or acute myocardial infarction are also described. Modern imaging techniques can help the clinicians not only in the diagnostic phase but also during administration of chemotherapy. A multidisciplinary counseling and serial multi-parametric assessment (echocardiography, cardiac troponin) seem to be the most effective approach to prevent possible fatal complications (i.e., cardiac rupture). Currently, only chemo- and radiotherapy are available options for treatment, but the prognosis remains poor. This is a case of secondary cardiac lymphoma presenting as a mediastinal mass with large infiltration of the heart and the great vessels with a good improvement after only one cycle of chemotherapy. It demonstrates the importance of an early diagnosis to modify the natural history of the disease.

Acute heart failure due to COVID-19 related myocardial injury and de novo hypertensive cardiomyopathy: a challenging diagnosis.

We report a COVID-19 case with acute heart and kidney failure in a healthy young male. Echocardiography showed severe systolic and diastolic left ventricle dysfunction, with diffuse myocardial thickening. Cardiac MRI showed aspects of focal myocarditis, and hypertensive cardiomyopathy. Renal biopsy demonstrated limited acute tubular injury, and hypertensive kidney disease. Coronary angiography excluded critical stenoses. Unlike what we initially suspected, myocardial inflammation had a limited extent in our patient; severe hypertension causing cardiomyopathy and multi-organ damage, not diagnosed before, was primarily responsible for severe illness. Correct diagnosis and guidelines-directed treatment allowed a favorable course.

Unusual intracardiac thrombosis in two patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): case series.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 may induce a coagulation dysregulation resulting in a prothrombotic state with a higher risk of arterial and venous thrombosis. This abnormal thrombotic diathesis can lead to pulmonary embolism, stroke, and intracardiac thrombosis. CASE SUMMARY: We present two cases of unusual intracardiac thrombosis in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. In both cases, imaging tests (such as transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), computed tomography scan of the chest, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging) showed evidence of unusual intracardiac thrombosis with thrombi adherent to regularly contracting walls. DISCUSSION: This evidence confirms that COVID-19 induces a hypercoagulable state which can result in intracardiac thrombosis. Therefore, TTE is indicated in all COVID-19 patients for early diagnosis, and prompt anticoagulant therapy is to be considered as a thromboprophylaxis strategy.

Cardiac Involvement in a Patient With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Importance: Virus infection has been widely described as one of the most common causes of myocarditis. However, less is known about the cardiac involvement as a complication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Objective: To describe the presentation of acute myocardial inflammation in a patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who recovered from the influenzalike syndrome and developed fatigue and signs and symptoms of heart failure a week after upper respiratory tract symptoms. Design, Setting, and Participant: This case report describes an otherwise healthy 53-year-old woman who tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to the cardiac care unit in March 2020 for acute myopericarditis with systolic dysfunction, confirmed on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, the week after onset of fever and dry cough due to COVID-19. The patient did not show any respiratory involvement during the clinical course. Exposure: Cardiac involvement with COVID-19. Main Outcomes and Measures: Detection of cardiac involvement with an increase in levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity troponin T, echocardiography changes, and diffuse biventricular myocardial edema and late gadolinium enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Results: An otherwise healthy 53-year-old white woman presented to the emergency department with severe fatigue. She described fever and dry cough the week before. She was afebrile but hypotensive; electrocardiography showed diffuse ST elevation, and elevated high-sensitivity troponin T and NT-proBNP levels were detected. Findings on chest radiography were normal. There was no evidence of obstructive coronary disease on coronary angiography. Based on the COVID-19 outbreak, a nasopharyngeal swab was performed, with a positive result for SARS-CoV-2 on real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed increased wall thickness with diffuse biventricular hypokinesis, especially in the apical segments, and severe left ventricular dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction of 35%). Short tau inversion recovery and T2-mapping sequences showed marked biventricular myocardial interstitial edema, and there was also diffuse late gadolinium enhancement involving the entire biventricular wall. There was a circumferential pericardial effusion that was most notable around the right cardiac chambers. These findings were all consistent with acute myopericarditis. She was treated with dobutamine, antiviral drugs (lopinavir/ritonavir), steroids, chloroquine, and medical treatment for heart failure, with progressive clinical and instrumental stabilization. Conclusions and Relevance: This case highlights cardiac involvement as a complication associated with COVID-19, even without symptoms and signs of interstitial pneumonia.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella aortitis.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) spp. causes about 40% of all infective aortitis and it is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Human infection occurs by fecal-oral transmission through ingestion of contaminated food, milk, or water (inter-human or zoonotic transmission). Approximately 5% of patients with NTS gastroenteritis develop bacteremia and the incidence of extra-intestinal focal infection in NTS bacteremia is about 40%. The organism can reach an extra-intestinal focus through blood dissemination, direct extension from the surrounding organs and direct bacterial inoculation (e.g. invasive medical procedures). Medical and surgical interventions are both needed to successfully control the infection. Here, we report a case of abdominal sub-renal aortitis caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in an 80-year-old man.

Self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve implantation for degenerated small Mitroflow bioprosthesis: early and midterm outcomes.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to report clinical outcomes of self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for failed small Mitroflow (MF) bioprostheses. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between January 2013 and July 2016, 15 symptomatic patients (NYHA Class ≥III) with degenerated small MF (≤23 mm) underwent CoreValve (CV) or Evolut R (EvR) implantation due to high/prohibitive risk for surgical redo. The MF size was 19 or 21 mm (off-label in Europe) in eight patients. A "preventive" left main (LM) stenting was successfully performed in one patient. Early LM obstruction occurred in two cases requiring stenting. Late LM obstruction was observed in one subject. A significant correlation between virtual left transcatheter valve-to-coronary ostia (VTC) distance and left sinus of Valsalva (LSV) diameter was observed (R=0.652; p=0.012). However, only left VTC was significantly smaller in patients who experienced LM obstruction compared to those who did not (p=0.002). No cases of moderate/severe stenosis were observed in either on- or off-label procedures. No death or other major events occurred up to the one-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: CV or EvR implantation for failed small MF has favourable early and midterm outcomes if a careful risk evaluation and preventive measures for coronary obstruction are adopted. Low gradients can be achieved regardless of MF size.

Direct transcatheter aortic valve implantation with self-expandable bioprosthesis: feasibility and safety.

BACKGROUND: Balloon valvuloplasty has been considered a mandatory step of the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), although it is not without risk. The aim of this work was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of TAVI performed without pre-dilation (direct TAVI) of the stenosed aortic valve. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between June 2012 and June 2013, 55 consecutive TAVI performed without pre-dilation at our institution using the self-expandable CoreValve prosthesis (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) were analyzed and compared with 45 pre-dilated TAVI performed the previous year. Inclusion criteria were a symptomatic and severe aortic stenosis. Exclusion criteria were defined as presence of pure aortic regurgitation, degenerated surgical bioprosthesis or bicuspid aortic valve and prior procedure of balloon aortic valvuloplasty performed as a bridge to TAVI. RESULTS: High-burden calcification in the device landing zone, assessed by CT scan, was found in most of the patients. The valve size implanted was similar in both groups. Device success was higher in direct TAVI (85%vs.64%,p=0.014), mostly driven by a significant lower incidence of paravalvular leak (PVL≥2;9%vs.33%,p=0.02). Safety combined end point at 30 days was similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Compared to TAVI with pre-dilation, direct TAVI is feasible regardless of the presence of bulky calcified aortic valve and the valve size implanted. Device success was higher in direct TAVI, mostly driven by a lower incidence of paravalvular leak. Safety at 30 days was similar in two groups.

Solitary microcarcinoid of the rectal stump in ulcerative colitis.

A case of solitary microcarcinoid and chronic ulcerative colitis of the rectal stump is described. The association of intestinal carcinoid with ulcerative colitis has been reported previously in 26 patients. Pathogenic pathways are discussed according to the presence of multifocal carcinoid and/or gut endocrine cell hyperplasia.