[Carcinoid cardiopathy]. / La cardiopatia da carcinoide.

ABSTRACT

A series of 5 males and 2 females aged 23-73 yr with carcinoid cardiopathy is presented, all of them with clinical and instrumental signs of liver metastasis. The main clinical signs were dyspnoea and asthenia rendered ingravescent by effort, and, in the later stage, a frank picture of congestive cardiac decompensation. All subjected presented stethoscopic evidence of tricuspid valvulopathy, combined with pulmonary stenosis in 2 cases. The ECG picture displayed a constant reduction in cardiac potentials, together with right branch bundle block in 3 cases. In cases where an echocardiogram was taken, this confirmed tricuspid involvement. The disease progressed in all cases, and four patients died as a result of terminal liver failure.