AUTHOR=Liu Jiahui , Wang Zhi , Yang Ying , Xiong Yan , Wang Wei , Qiu Jianxing , Zhao Kai , Zheng Bo 

TITLE=Multimodal Diagnostic Workup of Primary Pericardial Mesothelioma: A Case Report

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.758988

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.758988

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Background: Primary pericardial mesothelioma (PPM) is an extremely rare tumor, and early identification and accurate diagnosis may improve its clinical outcome.
Case presentation: We herein report a case of a 70-year-old woman who presented with dyspnea. Conventional transthoracic echocardiography showed massive pericardial effusion. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography revealed a hyperenhancing mass in the pericardium. Further imaging methods, including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography/computed tomography, showed invasion of the pericardial mass into the adjacent tissues and distant metastases. Pathologic examination of a puncture biopsy specimen finally confirmed the diagnosis of PPM.
Conclusion: Pericardial masses are difficult to detect when a large amount of pericardial effusion is present and the mass is small. Combination of multiple modalities plays a meaningful role in identifying PPM.