Primary cardiac leiomyosarcoma: Imaging with 2-D echocardiography, electron beam CT and 1.5-Tesla MR

Primary cardiac sarcomas are extremely rare. There are only a few case reports concerning the sonography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of cardiac leiomyosarcoma. A case is presented of pathologically proved left atrium leiomyosarcoma who received 2-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography, electron beam CT (EBCT) scan and cardiac MRI. The conclusion is made that the use of 2-D echocardiography in conjunction with dynamic EBCT study and MRI are very valuable noninvasive modalities for the evaluation of intracardiac masses. 2-D echocardiography provides real-time observation of the immobility of the tumor. MRI can differentiate tumor from thrombus effectively and both MRI and EBCT can contribute better anatomical information for preoperative planning.