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Course: A Woman in Her 70s With Hypotension, Diffuse ST-Elevation, Murmurs, and an Intracardiac Mass

CME Credits: 1.00

Released: 2021-06-30

A previously healthy woman in her early 70s was referred to our emergency department with exertional dyspnea. She reported recent physical and emotional stress from work and dizziness 2 days prior to presentation. She denied fever or palpitations. Her blood pressure was 84/59 mm Hg. A harmonic, musical systolic murmur was heard at the left third intercostal space. An electrocardiogram (ECG; Figure 1A) showed diffuse ST-segment elevation, most prominently in the anterior precordial leads. Laboratory evaluation revealed elevated levels of troponin (1.33 ng/mL; normal range: -0.016 ng/mL [to convert to micrograms per liter, multiply by 1.0]), brain natriuretic peptide (376.5 pg/mL; normal range: -18.4 pg/mL [to convert to nanograms per liter, multiply by 1.0]), creatinine phosphokinase (96 U/L; normal range: 41-153 U/L), and D-dimer (0.68 ?g/mL; normal range: -1.00 ?g/mL [to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiply by 5.476]). Echocardiography showed left ventricular (LV) wall-motion abnormalities involving the mid and apical segments and an LV apical mass with protruding features. Noncontrast computed tomography confirmed the high-density LV mass (Figure 1B). Coronary angiography revealed mild to moderate coronary atherosclerosis without obstructive coronary artery disease.


Educational Objective
Based on this clinical scenario and the accompanying image, understand how to arrive at a correct diagnosis.


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