Metastatic Malignant Mesothelioma Presenting With Cardiogenic Shock

Abstract

Metastatic tumor progression to the pericardium is generally characterized by pericardial effusion with or without tamponade. It is extremely rare for tumor to metastasize to the pericardium and cause constrictive pericarditis and tamponade physiology. We report a case of metastatic malignant mesothelioma admitted to our facility for acute hypoxic respiratory failure and cardiogenic shock due to extensive pericardial metastasis and trapped heart. This was confirmed during post-mortem evaluation, which showed malignant mesothelioma involving the anterior mediastinum and partially encasing the heart and the root of the aorta in addition to fibrous pericarditis and pericardial adhesion.




J Med Cases. 2017;8(2):58-60
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc2739w