Cardiac angiosarcoma with cardiac tamponade diagnosed as a ruptured aneurysm of the sinus valsalva

Abstract

Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare, diagnostically elusive disease with a poor prognosis. In this report, we describe the case of a 56-year-old woman with a right atrial angiosarcoma. The patient presented with impending cardiac tamponade caused by right atrial perforation, but was misdiagnosed as a ruptured aneurysm of the sinus valsalva based on findings of a continuous murmur and an aorta to right atrium shunt by echocardiography. In the emergent operation that ensued, we found a right atrial perforation and a right coronary artery fistula to the right atrium. Coronary artery fistula is a rare complication of primary cardiac angiosarcoma, and a continuous murmur is also extremely rare as a clinical finding of angiosarcoma. We report the case and review the literature.