Insights in Blood Pressure

Porcelain Heart: “Echocardiographic Findings in Patients with Massive Calcification of the Heart”

Background: Echocardiography plays a major role in determining diagnosis, etiology and severity of cardiac calcification. It also adds benefits in analysis of valve anatomy and decision-making for intervention. This technique has also a crucial role to assess consequences of valvar stenosis.

Aim: To review the role of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in diagnosing massive cardiac calcification.

Case Illustration:  A 32 year old man came with signs of heart failure. The laboratory shows high calcium level indicating hyperparathyroidism state. TTE was done and there are multiple patchy calcifications at myocardium, chordae, and pericardium suspected dystrophic cardiac calcification. There are multiple patchy calcification at both LV and RV myocardium, chordae, and pericardium. Calcification are seen in aortic, tricuspid and pulmonic valves. Patient has severe MS, mild MR due to extensive calcium deposit dd/ rheumatic process with small mobile calcified structure attached to mitral valve leaflet and chordae.

Summary: Echocardiography plays an important role in diagnosing cardiac calcification.

Author(s):

Dr. Ratna Sari Dewi Gill

Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia

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