MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA OF THE PLEURA WITH A LARGE TUMOR EMBOLUS IN THE LEFT ATRIUM - AN AUTOPSY CASE

Malignant mesothelioma of the pleura often involves the heart but seld om invades the intracardiac cavity. We report a 78-year-old woman with right pleural mesothelioma who died of heart failure. An autopsy reve aled that the tumor was present at the right pleura and invaded the ri ght upper lobe of the lung and the mediastinum. The tumor also extende d to the left atrium via the right pulmonary vein and filled the atria l cavity. Repeated transthoracic echocardiography failed to detect the tumor, but magnetic resonance imaging was useful for diagnosis.