COMPARISON OF TRANSTHORACIC AND TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF INTRACARDIAC TUMORS IN ADULTS

To compare transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in the d iagnosis of intracardiac tumors, 17 patients (8 men and 9 women, aged 19 years to 67 years) whose intracardiac tumors were detected by echoc ardiography were studied in a 4-year period. Of these, 14 patients und erwent cardiac surgery and 13 were proved to have tumors. There were 4 false-positive and 2 false-negative diagnoses by transthoracic echoca rdiography, but only one false-positive and no false-negative diagnosi s by transesophageal echocardiography. The stalk of a myxoma was detec ted clearly in 5 of 11 patients by transthoracic echocardiography, whe reas in 10 of 11 it was detected by transesophageal echocardiography. The detailed morphologic characteristics of the tumor, such as contour of the tumor, and the presence of cysts and calcification in the tumo r, were seen more clearly with transesophageal echocardiography than w ith transthoracic echocardiography. (C) 1994 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.