AUTHOR=Liu Jiahui , Wang Zhi , Yang Ying , Xiong Yan , Wang Wei , Qiu Jianxing , Zhao Kai , Zheng Bo 

TITLE=Multimodal Diagnostic Workup of Primary Pericardial Mesothelioma: A Case Report

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.758988

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.758988

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Primary pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely rare tumor, and early identification and accurate diagnosis may improve its clinical outcome.</p><p><bold>Case presentation:</bold> In this study, we reported a case of a 70-year-old woman who presented with dyspnea. Conventional transthoracic echocardiography showed massive pericardial effusion. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography revealed a hyper-enhancing mass in the pericardium. Further imaging methods, including cardiac MRI and positron emission tomography/computed tomography, showed invasion of the pericardial mass into the adjacent tissues and distant metastases. Pathologic examination of a puncture biopsy specimen finally confirmed the diagnosis of PPM.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Pericardial masses are difficult to detect when a large amount of pericardial effusion is present and the mass is small. The combination of multiple modalities plays a meaningful role in identifying PPM.</p>