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  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">Arq Bras Cardiol</journal-id>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">abc</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia</journal-title>
        <abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">Arq. Bras. Cardiol.</abbrev-journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn pub-type="ppub">0066-782X</issn>
      <issn pub-type="epub">1678-4170</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia - SBC</publisher-name>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id specific-use="scielo-v3" pub-id-type="publisher-id">j47T7nH3rvrwNBFfxyXMvXf</article-id>
      <article-id specific-use="scielo-v2" pub-id-type="publisher-id">S0066-782X2022001000616</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">abc.20211033</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.36660/abc.20211033</article-id>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Imagem</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Surpresa! O Que Voc&#234; &#233;? O Desafio Diagn&#243;stico de uma Massa Card&#237;aca</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">0000-0001-8214-7193</contrib-id>
          <name>
            <surname>Tinoco</surname>
            <given-names>Mariana</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Castro</surname>
            <given-names>Filipa</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
            <sup>2</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Leite</surname>
            <given-names>S&#233;rgio</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Sousa</surname>
            <given-names>Francisco</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
            <sup>2</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Louren&#231;o</surname>
            <given-names>Ant&#243;nio</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <aff id="aff1">
        <label> 1 </label>
        <institution content-type="orgname">Hospital da Senhora da Oliveira Guimar&#227;es EPE</institution>
        <addr-line>
          <named-content content-type="city">Guimar&#227;es</named-content>
        </addr-line>
        <country country="PT">Portugal</country>
        <institution content-type="original"> Hospital da Senhora da Oliveira Guimar&#227;es EPE , Guimar&#227;es &#8211; Portugal </institution>
      </aff>
      <aff id="aff2">
        <label> 2 </label>
        <institution content-type="orgname">Hospital da Luz</institution>
        <addr-line>
          <named-content content-type="city">Guimar&#227;es</named-content>
        </addr-line>
        <country country="PT">Portugal</country>
        <institution content-type="original"> Hospital da Luz , Guimar&#227;es &#8211; Portugal </institution>
      </aff>
      <author-notes>
        <corresp id="c01">Correspond&#234;ncia: Mariana Tinoco &#8226; Hospital da Senhora da Oliveira Guimar&#227;es &#8211; 4835-044, Guimar&#227;es &#8211; Portugal E-mail: <email>mariana.tinoco@outlook.com</email> </corresp>
        <fn fn-type="con">
          <p>Contribui&#231;&#227;o dos autores</p>
          <p>Reda&#231;&#227;o do manuscrito: Tinoco M; Revis&#227;o cr&#237;tica do manuscrito quanto ao conte&#250;do intelectual importante: Castro F, Leite S, Sousa F, Louren&#231;o A.</p>
        </fn>
        <fn fn-type="conflict">
          <p>Potencial conflito de interesse</p>
          <p>N&#227;o h&#225; conflito com o presente artigo.</p>
        </fn>
      </author-notes>
      <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="electronic">
        <day>21</day>
        <month>10</month>
        <year>2022</year>
      </pub-date>
      <pub-date date-type="collection" publication-format="electronic">
        <month>10</month>
        <year>2022</year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>119</volume>
      <issue>4</issue>
      <fpage>616</fpage>
      <lpage>618</lpage>
      <history>
        <date date-type="received">
          <day>17</day>
          <month>12</month>
          <year>2021</year>
        </date>
        <date date-type="rev-recd">
          <day>18</day>
          <month>03</month>
          <year>2022</year>
        </date>
        <date date-type="accepted">
          <day>01</day>
          <month>06</month>
          <year>2022</year>
        </date>
      </history>
      <permissions>
        <license license-type="open-access" xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" xml:lang="en">
          <license-p>This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</license-p>
        </license>
      </permissions>
      <kwd-group xml:lang="pt">
        <kwd>Massa Card&#237;aca</kwd>
        <kwd>T&#233;cnicas e Procedimentos Diagn&#243;sticos</kwd>
        <kwd>Diagn&#243;stico por Imagem/m&#233;todos</kwd>
        <kwd>Ecocardiografia Transesof&#225;gica/m&#233;todos</kwd>
        <kwd>Resson&#226;ncia Magn&#233;tica/m&#233;todos</kwd>
        <kwd>Trombose</kwd>
        <kwd>&#193;trios do Cora&#231;&#227;o</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
      <counts>
        <fig-count count="8"/>
        <table-count count="0"/>
        <equation-count count="0"/>
        <ref-count count="2"/>
        <page-count count="3"/>
      </counts>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
  <body>
    <p>Uma mulher de 49 anos apresentou uma massa atrial direita incidental em uma ecocardiografia transtor&#225;cica (ETT) de rotina ( <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f01">Figura 1</xref> ). Ela n&#227;o relatou hist&#243;rico m&#233;dico significativo anterior, al&#233;m de uma mamoplastia em 2017 complicada pela ruptura do implante em 2019. Ela n&#227;o estava em uso de nenhuma medica&#231;&#227;o, estava em boa forma f&#237;sica e mostrava toler&#226;ncia total ao exerc&#237;cio. N&#227;o havia fatores de risco para tromboembolismo venoso e ela n&#227;o tinha hist&#243;rico m&#233;dico familiar significante. A paciente &#233; ex-tabagista de 12 ma&#231;os/ano. Ela teve 2 gesta&#231;&#245;es anteriores sem abortos espont&#226;neos. O exame f&#237;sico foi normal.</p>
    <p>
      <fig id="f01">
        <label>Figura 1</label>
        <caption>
          <title>Ecocardiografia transtor&#225;cica mostrando a massa atrial direita.</title>
        </caption>
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-119-04-0616-11033-gf01.tif"/></fig>
    </p>
    <p>O hemograma diferencial, bioqu&#237;mica geral, eletrocardiograma e radiografia de t&#243;rax n&#227;o mostraram anormalidades.</p>
    <p>A angiotomografia de t&#243;rax excluiu embolia pulmonar e confirmou uma estrutura hipodensa com morfologia alongada na &#225;rea de passagem da veia cava inferior (VCI) para o &#225;trio direito, acima da conflu&#234;ncia das veias hep&#225;ticas, com seu maior eixo medindo cerca de 22mm no plano longitudinal e com espessura aproximada de 5 a 6 mm, de etiologia indeterminada.</p>
    <p>A tomografia computadorizada (TC) de cr&#226;nio foi normal. A TC abdominal e p&#233;lvica revelou heterodensidade uterina, identificando pequenas hipodensidades focais infracentim&#233;tricas ao redor do endom&#233;trio. N&#227;o foram encontrados &#234;mbolos sist&#234;micos nem tumores extracard&#237;acos. A ultrassonografia de membros inferiores excluiu trombose venosa profunda. Ela foi avaliada por um m&#233;dico ginecologista e foi realizada uma ultrassonografia, que revelou aus&#234;ncia de evid&#234;ncias cl&#237;nicas ou de imagem de patologias ginecol&#243;gicas relacionadas ao achado card&#237;aco. Uma mamografia e ultrassonografia de tireoide n&#227;o mostraram altera&#231;&#245;es.</p>
    <p>A ecocardiografia transesof&#225;gica (ETE) ( <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f02">Figura 2</xref> ) evidenciou a massa m&#243;vel pediculada oriunda da VCI, medindo 29&#215;12mm com contorno muito irregular sem comprometimento hemodin&#226;mico.</p>
    <p>
      <fig id="f02">
        <label>Figura 2</label>
        <caption>
          <title>Ecocardiografia transesof&#225;gica evidenciando massa atrial direita.</title>
        </caption>
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-119-04-0616-11033-gf02.tif"/></fig>
    </p>
    <p>O ETE pode levar a informa&#231;&#245;es incertas e esta &#233; a raz&#227;o pela qual a resson&#226;ncia magn&#233;tica (RM) card&#237;aca foi utilizada sinergicamente com a ecocardiografia. <sup><xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">1</xref></sup></p>
    <p>A RM card&#237;aca ( <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f03">Figura 3</xref> ) mostrou ventr&#237;culos n&#227;o dilatados com fun&#231;&#227;o sist&#243;lica global e regional normais, bem como aus&#234;ncia de &#225;reas de infarto, fibrose ou infiltra&#231;&#227;o mioc&#225;rdica. Tamb&#233;m mostrou uma massa muito m&#243;vel, de aspecto irregular e vegetante, localizada no interior do &#225;trio direito, adjacente &#224; v&#225;lvula de Eust&#225;quio, medindo 19x11mm, inserida na parede da VCI/veia supra-hep&#225;tica atrav&#233;s de um ped&#237;culo fino. A massa mostrou ser isointensa em rela&#231;&#227;o ao mioc&#225;rdio nas sequ&#234;ncias ponderadas em T2 e levemente hiperintensa nas sequ&#234;ncias ponderadas em T1. Nenhuma vasculariza&#231;&#227;o aparente foi encontrada na sequ&#234;ncia de perfus&#227;o de primeira passagem. Ap&#243;s a administra&#231;&#227;o de gadol&#237;nio, a massa apresentou realce tardio heterog&#234;neo, mas com aus&#234;ncia de realce precoce.</p>
    <p>
      <fig id="f03">
        <label>Figura 3</label>
        <caption>
          <title>Resson&#226;ncia magn&#233;tica card&#237;aca mostrando a massa atrial direita.</title>
        </caption>
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-119-04-0616-11033-gf03.tif"/></fig>
    </p>
    <p>Sua localiza&#231;&#227;o, morfologia e comportamento do sinal sugeriram as hip&#243;teses diagn&#243;sticas mais prov&#225;veis: mixoma com inser&#231;&#227;o at&#237;pica na VCI, tecido hep&#225;tico heterot&#243;pico, tumor hepatocelular com extens&#227;o intracard&#237;aca pela VCI ou leiomiossarcoma da VCI. <sup><xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">1</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B2">2</xref></sup></p>
    <p>Nesse &#237;nterim, considerando tamb&#233;m a hip&#243;tese de trombos intra-atriais, iniciou-se o tratamento com heparina intravenosa (IV) e a massa foi monitorada atrav&#233;s de ETT. No entanto, ap&#243;s uma semana de tratamento com heparina IV, o volume da massa n&#227;o mostrou altera&#231;&#245;es.</p>
    <p>A paciente permaneceu assintom&#225;tica.</p>
    <p>Ap&#243;s consulta com a equipe de Cardiologia, levando em considera&#231;&#227;o o tamanho da massa e a apar&#234;ncia m&#243;vel &#224; ecocardiografia, o que parecia colocar nossa paciente em alto risco para embolia pulmonar, optamos pela explora&#231;&#227;o cir&#250;rgica com finalidade diagn&#243;stica e curativa.</p>
    <p>A paciente foi submetida &#224; ressec&#231;&#227;o cir&#250;rgica da massa, que estava fixada na jun&#231;&#227;o das veias VCI e supra-hep&#225;ticas, atrav&#233;s de uma esternotomia mediana. A inspe&#231;&#227;o cir&#250;rgica da massa caracterizou-a como tendo consist&#234;ncia fibroel&#225;stica, esbranqui&#231;ada e com &#225;reas de aspecto hemorr&#225;gico ( <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f04">Figura 4</xref> ). O exame histol&#243;gico inesperadamente mostrou apenas material tromb&#243;tico com v&#225;rias fases de organiza&#231;&#227;o.</p>
    <p>
      <fig id="f04">
        <label>Figura 4</label>
        <caption>
          <title>Inspe&#231;&#227;o cir&#250;rgica da massa card&#237;aca.</title>
        </caption>
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-119-04-0616-11033-gf04.tif"/></fig>
    </p>
    <p>A paciente n&#227;o apresentou complica&#231;&#245;es p&#243;s-operat&#243;rias e recebeu alta cinco dias depois com tratamento de anticoagula&#231;&#227;o oral com apixabana 5 mg, 2 vezes ao dia.</p>
    <p>Ela se recuperou bem. Uma ETT realizada tr&#234;s meses ap&#243;s a cirurgia descartou qualquer recidiva de trombo atrial direito.</p>
    <p>Uma investiga&#231;&#227;o adicional para o estado tromb&#243;tico realizado seis meses depois revelou tempos normais de protrombina e tromboplastina parcial ativada, n&#237;veis normais de antitrombina III, prote&#237;na C e S e homociste&#237;na. A pesquisa de anticorpos anticardiolipina e anticoagulante l&#250;pico foi negativa. A an&#225;lise gen&#233;tica mostrou estado de homozigose normal para os genes da protrombina e fator V de Leiden. Os n&#237;veis de d&#237;mero D e fibrinog&#234;nio foram normais.</p>
    <p>Descrevemos aqui um caso raro de trombo pediculado atrial direito em uma mulher previamente saud&#225;vel, assintom&#225;tica, sem cardiopatia estrutural.</p>
    <p>Em nossa paciente, as investiga&#231;&#245;es pr&#233;-operat&#243;rias n&#227;o conseguiram diferenciar o trombo de um tumor; consequentemente, o diagn&#243;stico foi realizado no p&#243;s-operat&#243;rio.</p>
    <p>Apesar das modalidades diagn&#243;sticas avan&#231;adas e sofisticadas dispon&#237;veis, diferenciar massas intracard&#237;acas ainda pode ser um desafio. A apresenta&#231;&#227;o cl&#237;nica leva &#224; conduta adequada das investiga&#231;&#245;es, sendo a histopatologia uma etapa confirmat&#243;ria. <sup><xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">1</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B2">2</xref></sup></p>
  </body>
  <back>
    <ref-list>
      <title>Refer&#234;ncias</title>
      <ref id="B1">
        <label>1</label>
        <mixed-citation>1. Aggeli C, Dimitroglou Y, Raftopoulos L, Sarri G, Mavrogeni S, Wong J, et al. Cardiac Masses: the role of cardiovascular imaging in the differential diagnosis.Diagnostics(Basel).2020;10(12):1088. doi:10.3390/diagnostics10121088</mixed-citation>
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              <surname>Aggeli</surname>
              <given-names>C</given-names>
            </name>
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              <surname>Dimitroglou</surname>
              <given-names>Y</given-names>
            </name>
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              <surname>Raftopoulos</surname>
              <given-names>L</given-names>
            </name>
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              <given-names>G</given-names>
            </name>
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              <surname>Mavrogeni</surname>
              <given-names>S</given-names>
            </name>
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              <surname>Wong</surname>
              <given-names>J</given-names>
            </name>
            <etal>et al</etal>
          </person-group>
          <article-title>Cardiac Masses: the role of cardiovascular imaging in the differential diagnosis</article-title>
          <source>Diagnostics(Basel)</source>
          <year>2020</year>
          <volume>10</volume>
          <issue>12</issue>
          <size units="pages">1088</size>
          <issue-id pub-id-type="doi">10.3390/diagnostics10121088</issue-id>
        </element-citation>
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              <surname>Tyebally</surname>
              <given-names>S</given-names>
            </name>
            <name>
              <surname>Chen</surname>
              <given-names>D</given-names>
            </name>
            <name>
              <surname>Bhattacharyya</surname>
              <given-names>S</given-names>
            </name>
            <name>
              <surname>Mughrabi</surname>
              <given-names>A</given-names>
            </name>
            <name>
              <surname>Hussain</surname>
              <given-names>Z</given-names>
            </name>
            <name>
              <surname>Manisty</surname>
              <given-names>C</given-names>
            </name>
            <etal>et al</etal>
          </person-group>
          <article-title>Cardiac tumors:JACC CardioOncology State of the Art Review</article-title>
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      </ref>
    </ref-list>
    <fn-group>
      <fn fn-type="other">
        <label/>
        <p>Vincula&#231;&#227;o acad&#234;mica</p>
        <p>N&#227;o h&#225; vincula&#231;&#227;o deste estudo a programas de p&#243;s-gradua&#231;&#227;o.</p>
      </fn>
      <fn fn-type="other">
        <label/>
        <p>Aprova&#231;&#227;o &#233;tica e consentimento informado</p>
        <p>Este artigo n&#227;o cont&#233;m estudos com humanos ou animais realizados por nenhum dos autores.</p>
      </fn>
    </fn-group>
    <fn-group>
      <fn fn-type="supported-by">
        <p>Fontes de financiamento: O presente estudo n&#227;o teve fontes de financiamento externas.</p>
      </fn>
    </fn-group>
  </back>
  <sub-article article-type="translation" id="TRen" xml:lang="en">
    <front-stub>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Image</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Peek-A-Boo What are You? The Diagnostic Challenge of a Cardiac Mass</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">0000-0001-8214-7193</contrib-id>
          <name>
            <surname>Tinoco</surname>
            <given-names>Mariana</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1001">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Castro</surname>
            <given-names>Filipa</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1001">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2001">
            <sup>2</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Leite</surname>
            <given-names>S&#233;rgio</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1001">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Sousa</surname>
            <given-names>Francisco</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1001">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2001">
            <sup>2</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Louren&#231;o</surname>
            <given-names>Ant&#243;nio</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1001">
            <sup>1</sup>
          </xref>
        </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <aff id="aff1001">
        <label>1</label>
        <country country="PT">Portugal</country>
        <institution content-type="original">Hospital da Senhora da Oliveira Guimar&#227;es EPE, Guimar&#227;es &#8211; Portugal</institution>
      </aff>
      <aff id="aff2001">
        <label>2</label>
        <country country="PT">Portugal</country>
        <institution content-type="original">Hospital da Luz, Guimar&#227;es &#8211; Portugal</institution>
      </aff>
      <author-notes>
        <corresp id="c01001">Mailing Address: Mariana Tinoco &#8226; Hospital da Senhora da Oliveira Guimar&#227;es &#8211; 4835-044, Guimar&#227;es &#8211; Portugal E-mail: mariana.tinoco@outlook.com</corresp>
        <fn fn-type="con">
          <p>Author Contributions</p>
          <p>Writing of the manuscript: Tinoco M; Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Castro F, Leite S, Sousa F, Louren&#231;o A.</p>
        </fn>
        <fn fn-type="conflict">
          <p>Potential Conflict of Interest</p>
          <p>No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.</p>
        </fn>
      </author-notes>
      <kwd-group xml:lang="en">
        <kwd>Cardiac Mass</kwd>
        <kwd>Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures</kwd>
        <kwd>Diagnostic, Imaging/methods</kwd>
        <kwd>Echocardiography Transesophageal/methods</kwd>
        <kwd>Resonance Magnetic/methods</kwd>
        <kwd>Trombosis</kwd>
        <kwd>Heart Atrial</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
    </front-stub>
    <body>
      <p>A 49-year-old female was found to have an incidental right atrial mass on a routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) ( <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f01001">Figure 1</xref> ). She reported no previous significant medical history, besides a mammoplasty in 2017 complicated with implant rupture in 2019. She did not take any medication, was fit and well, and showed full exercise tolerance. There were no risk factors for venous thromboembolism, and she had no significant family medical history. The patient is a former smoker of 12 pack-years. She had 2 previous pregnancies with no miscarriages. The physical examination was unremarkable.</p>
      <p>
        <fig id="f01001">
          <label>Figure 1</label>
          <caption>
            <title>Transthoracic echocardiography showing the right atrial mass.</title>
          </caption>
          <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-119-04-0616-11033-gf01-en.tif"/></fig>
      </p>
      <p>The differential blood count, general biochemistry, electrocardiogram, and chest radiograph showed no abnormalities.</p>
      <p>A CT angiography of the thorax excluded pulmonary embolism and confirmed a hypodense structure with elongated morphology in the area of passage from the inferior vena cava (IVC) to the right atrium, above the confluence of the hepatic veins, with the longest axis measuring about 22mm in the longitudinal plane, with an approximate thickness of 5 to 6 mm, of undetermined etiology.</p>
      <p>The cranial computed tomography (CT) scan was normal. The abdominal and pelvic CT scans revealed uterine heterodensity, identifying small infracentimetric focal hypodensities surrounding the endometrium. No systemic emboli or extracardiac tumours were found. A lower-limb ultrasonography excluded deep vein thrombosis. She was assessed by a gynecologist and an ultrasound was performed, which revealed absence of clinical or imaging evidence of gynecological pathologies related to the cardiac finding. A mammography and thyroid ultrasonography were unremarkable.</p>
      <p>The transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) ( <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f02001">Figure 2</xref> ) showed a mobile pedunculated mass arising from the IVC, which measured 29&#215;12mm and showed a very irregular contour, without entailing hemodynamic compromise.</p>
      <p>
        <fig id="f02001">
          <label>Figure 2</label>
          <caption>
            <title>Transesophageal echocardiography showing the right atrial mass.</title>
          </caption>
          <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-119-04-0616-11033-gf02-en.tif"/></fig>
      </p>
      <p>The TEE may lead to uncertain information and this is the reason why a cardiac MRI was used synergistically with the echocardiography.<sup><xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">1</xref></sup></p>
      <p>A cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ( <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f03001">Figure 3</xref> ) showed non-dilated ventricles, with normal global and regional systolic function, as well as absence of areas of infarction, fibrosis or myocardial infiltration. It also showed a very mobile mass, with an irregular and vegetative appearance located inside the right atrium, adjacent to the Eustachian valve, measuring 19x11mm, attached to the wall of the IVC/supra-hepatic vein through a thin pedicle. The mass showed to be isointense relative to the myocardium on T2-weighted sequences and slightly hyperintense on T1-weighted sequences. No apparent vascularization was found in the first-pass perfusion sequence. After gadolinium administration, the mass showed a heterogeneous late enhancement but with absence of early enhancement.</p>
      <p>
        <fig id="f03001">
          <label>Figure 3</label>
          <caption>
            <title>Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showing the right atrial mass.</title>
          </caption>
          <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-119-04-0616-11033-gf03-en.tif"/></fig>
      </p>
      <p>Its location, morphology and signal behavior suggested the most likely diagnostic hypotheses: myxoma with atypical insertion in the IVC, heterotopic liver tissue, hepatocellular tumor with intracardiac extension through the IVC or IVC leiomyosarcoma.<sup><xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">1</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B2">2</xref></sup></p>
      <p>In the meantime, also considering the hypothesis of intra-atrial thrombi, the treatment with intravenous (IV) heparin was initiated and the mass was monitored through TTE. However, one week after IV heparin treatment, the mass volume did not change.</p>
      <p>The patient remained asymptomatic.</p>
      <p>After consultation with the Heart Team, taking into account the size of the mass and the mobile appearance on the echocardiography that seemed to place our patient at high risk for pulmonary embolism, the case assessment led us to choose surgical exploration with a diagnostic and curative purpose.</p>
      <p>The patient underwent surgical resection of the mass, which was attached at the junction of the IVC and suprahepatic veins, through a median sternotomy. The surgical inspection of the mass characterized it as having a fibroelastic consistency, whitish and with areas of hemorrhagic aspect ( <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f04001">Figure 4</xref> ). The histological examination unexpectedly showed only thrombotic material with several phases of organization.</p>
      <p>
        <fig id="f04001">
          <label>Figure 4</label>
          <caption>
            <title>Surgical inspection of the cardiac mass.</title>
          </caption>
          <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-119-04-0616-11033-gf04-en.tif"/></fig>
      </p>
      <p>The patient had no postoperative complications and was discharged 5 days later with oral anticoagulation treatment with apixaban 5 mg twice a day.</p>
      <p>She recovered well. A TTE performed 3 months after the surgery ruled out any relapse of a right atrial thrombus.</p>
      <p>A further workup for thrombotic state performed 6 months later revealed normal prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times, normal antithrombin III, protein C and S and homocysteine levels. Screening for anticardiolipin antibodies and lupus anticoagulant was negative. The genetic analysis showed normal homozygous state for prothrombin and factor V Leiden genes. D-dimer and fibrinogen levels were normal.</p>
      <p>We describe here a case of a rare right atrial pedunculated thrombus in a previously healthy, asymptomatic woman without structural heart disease.</p>
      <p>In our patient, the preoperative investigations could not differentiate the thrombus from a tumor; consequently, the diagnosis was made postoperatively.</p>
      <p>Despite the available advanced and sophisticated diagnostic modalities, differentiating intracardiac masses can still be challenging. Clinical presentation leads to the appropriate conduit of investigations, and histopathology is a confirmatory step.<sup><xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">1</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B2">2</xref></sup></p>
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    <back>
      <fn-group>
        <fn fn-type="other">
          <label/>
          <p>Study Association: This study is not associated with any thesis or dissertation work.</p>
        </fn>
        <fn fn-type="other">
          <label/>
          <p>Ethics approval and consent to participate</p>
          <p>This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.</p>
        </fn>
      </fn-group>
      <fn-group>
        <fn fn-type="supported-by">
          <p>Sources of Funding: There were no external funding sources for this study.</p>
        </fn>
      </fn-group>
    </back>
  </sub-article>
</article>
