Diagnosis of heart tumours by transoesophageal echocardiography: a multicentre study in 154 patients

tumours, cardiac masses. In a retrospective multicentre study, the diagnostic potential of transoesophageal 2D-echocardiography (TEE) as com-pared to precordial 2 D-echocardiography (TTE) was determined in 154 patients with primary or secondary tumours of the heart. Additionally, the value of standard diagnostic parameters, such as symptoms, X-ray of the chest and electrocardio-gram were evaluated. In 84 patients (24 male, 60 female; age 20-85, mean 56-6 years) intracardial tumours were present, and 70 patients (37 male, 33 female; age 18-79, mean 44-3 years) presented with peri- or paracardial tumours. The main symptoms of patients with intracardial tumours were dyspnoea (60-7%), vena cava syndrome (22-2%) and chest pain (20-2%). Embolization was found in 11-9%. Left or right atrial enlargement was observed on chest X-ray in 23 patients, and echocardiographic abnormalities in 17 cases. The patients with peri- or paracardial tumours presented with dyspnoea in 51-4 % of cases, loss in body weight in 200 % and with vena cava syndrome and chest pain in 171%. The ches